Unpredictable - Bellamy Blake
by CaptainStiles24
Summary: When Atalanta Reece snuck onto the Exodus ship, she was the only one among the prisoners who knew what to expect on Earth: she was going to reunite with her liberated true love... Except she comes to find that not only Earth is unpredictable; so is love. All rights reserved. Bellamy Blake X OC
1. The Stowaways

For a place that had 100 prisoners, the Ark had a shitty security detail. Atalanta moved up and down the hallways undetected, sidling among the commotion of the prisoners. All she had to do was swipe her father's old guard uniform, and she was practically invisible.

It's not like her father would miss it. He stepped down from his position a few months ago, preferring a lab over an armory. Which sucked for Atalanta, because if her dad was still apart of the guard, he could've just arrested his daughter himself. But now Atalanta had to do it the hard way.

She needed to get on that ship. She was eating with her friend Wells when he mentioned his father's intentions to send the prisoners to the ground, and she didn't hesitate to react. Neither did he.

Earth: it was a suicide mission and she knew that, for her father was at the head of the research team that concluded that Earth wouldn't be safe for another 100 years. However, she had no other choice. She immediately started forming her plan on how to get on that ship.

Her and Wells decided to get arrested, for Wells knew that Clarke Griffin would be on the ship. Atalanta also knew Clarke, but she had different reasons to be on the ship. But apparently getting arrested wasn't as easy as the ones in the Sky Box made it out to be: much to Wells' pleasure, only the chancellor's son got arrested, and Atalanta was left to form another plan.

It wasn't hard to find the drop ship. Atalanta heard the prison break from the other end of the Ark. Stiffening her posture in the awkwardly large uniform, she hastily made her way down the hall, brimming with 100 prisoners and just as many guards. She narrowly avoided bumping into one of the guards as she searched the faces of each one of the prisoners, her heart throbbing in her throat.

Nope. None of them were him.

She sighed in defeat, but quickly recovered, extremely aware of the guards around her. She knew that she had nothing to lose: if they caught her, they could just throw her on the ship anyways.

Or she could get floated, her 18th being only days away. The odds of her getting to Earth were slim, so she tried to remain low key.

With a growing sense of panic, Atalanta tucked her chin to her chest and dutifully walked down the hall. If she looked like she belonged, maybe they wouldn't realize how small and odd she was compared to the other guards. _Fake it until you make it,_ she kept at the back of her mind.

Peering up over her eyebrows, she tried to calm her nerves. "Almost there," she whispered to herself, lowering her head again. Maybe they already put him inside. Maybe she would find him then. She would see him again, get to hug him again, and they would survive togeth-

" _Oomph_ ," Atalanta exhaled as she bumped into something hard. She had automatically apologized on instinct before she realized what was happening.

She was caught.

Inside, she froze, panic taking control and rendering her immobile. She gulped down a heavy breath. Slowly, she lifted her chin, forcing herself to stay calm.

In front of her stood a man in a guard uniform, although he was more of a boy than a man. And Atalanta didn't recognize him, which she found strange. She thought she knew all of the guards from confrontation at one time or another, and her father had introduced her to many.

But here he was, just outside of the Exodus ship, a complete stranger. That gave Atalanta some confidence, knowing that he couldn't have recognized her either. _Fake it until you make it,_ she reminded herself. She raised her head higher, looking him in the eye. There, she found something that she thought mirrored herself: fear.

Atalanta cleared her throat. "What is your business here, sir?" She mentally thanked her voice for not betraying her. It remained steady.

The boy readjusted his stance, and Atalanta regretfully noticed that he was much taller than her. He blinked, and the fear was gone from his eyes. What was left was a fixed facade of purpose. Atalanta wondered whether she imagined his fear or not, his gaze now so firm.

"Kane wanted me to patrol the prisoners at the entrance," he said, his voice even smoother than Atalanta's. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly. Something about him just didn't seem right. He was very convincing and intimidating, like a guard should be. Except something was off, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Her breathing slowed, but she covered herself with a lie, something that came easily to her. "With all do respect, sir, he told _me_ to monitor this entrance. I can relieve you from your duty, if you'd like."

"With all do respect," he replied, only slightly mocking her. Atalanta narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine at my assigned post."

She had no other choice than to nod. "Suit yourself."

As the last prisoner entered, Atalanta positioned herself on the other side of the door, feeling like she was trying to swallow a golf ball. Beads of sweat formed along her hairline and crept down her face, only making her apprehension worse. Carefully, she glanced over at him, only to find that he was glancing back at her. Startled, they both looked away as soon as their eyes met.

She had made it this far only to be stalled by this one boy, who didn't really frighten her, but he did make her uncomfortable. She was almost positive that he wasn't a guard, but she couldn't risk being wrong. Maybe he was a Cadet.

She glanced at him again, more secretive about it this time. He stood with his hands latched behind him, the justified stance of a true guard. This threw her off, but didn't stop her suspicion. She had always been good at reading people, and she felt like she could see right through him. She just needed evidence.

She looked at him thoroughly, her mental clock ticking. That ship would launch at any minute, and she could tell that the boy knew it too. His shoulders rotated around in uneasiness.

And that's when she noticed it.

"Excuse me," Atalanta spoke up, unable to stop her smirk. _Got you_ , she thought. "What's your name, Commander?"

He waited a second to reply. "I'm a Cadet."

"Ah, ok. Because, you see, you don't look like a Commander," Atalanta pressed, tapping her chin with her finger. She teasingly circled around him, looking him up and down. "That uniform _does_ look a little big on you... Too big to be a Cadet, even." She moved back to her spot, cocking an eyebrow at him as if to say " _your move."_

He gave her a skeptical once-over. "I could say the same about you." His uniform wasn't even oversized. It actually fit him quite nicely. But Atalanta needed an accusation, even if it wasn't a true one. In defending himself, he would expose himself. Her dad had taught her this.

But instead, the boy had exposed her. Atalanta opened her mouth to argue about her baggy clothes, except he had used her move against her. Before she could say anything, he cut her off.

"And you don't have a gun," he pointed out. Apparently he had been secretly examining her the same way she had him.

"And you do?"

He flashed her his gun at his hip, and she closed her mouth. They stood still, holding each other's gaze firmly. Neither of them dared to break the eye contact, refusing to lose the silent stand off.

Down the hall, Atalanta heard someone give a launch warning. The ship was getting ready to go. In the boy's eyes, she saw anxiousness, and she knew that he saw the same in her.

"I'm getting on that ship," he said finally. She vaguely noticed his hand hovering over his gun, and she gulped. Was he threatening her?

Atalanta tried to appear unfazed. "So am I."

And with that, his hand moved away from his gun, and he made a face at her. "Why didn't you say so?" His posture was still as stiff as a pencil, still threatening.

She crossed her arms over her chest, not letting her guard drop even though she had no idea what was happening between them. "Why didn't _you_ say so?" Repeating what he said. That works, right? Her dad never taught her what to do in this circumstance.

He paused for a minute, but then he narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing?"

Atalanta straightened her posture, raising her chin. This was a question she could give a straight, confident answer to. "Protecting someone I love."

His gaze shifted, and he finally relaxed. "So am I."

With a sigh that released all of her tension, Atalanta let her shoulders drop, and she stepped back from the door with a small smile. "Well, after you, then." She was almost incredulous, wondering why it wasn't that easy to begin with.

The boy stared at her for a minute and then chuckled. "Alright," he said. "See you on the ground."

He released a humorous half-smile as he passed her, reaching for the entrance. He sent her a nod as he ducked under the door, and once he was in, he extended an arm to help her in after him.

Atalanta took his arm, relief pouring over her as if a fever was breaking. He had the same look on his face, and she only caught his eye for a second before he turned on his heel and disappeared into the ship. She stood and watched him go, and once he was gone, she grinned and shook her head to herself. Atalanta made a mental note to find him once they were on the ground.

But first, she would find what she came here to protect.

The doors shut behind her, and she barely managed to grab onto some restrains before the Exodus shift was launched into space.


	2. Prisoners of the Ark

Atalanta had managed to get herself buckled in with shaking hands, yet she still held on desperately when the pod took launch. The force of the launch had thrown her head against the back of her seat, and everything started to spin.

With her eyes closed tight, Atalanta sucked in breaths. _I'm here_ , she thought to herself. _I'm actually here, on the ship._

Her heart was slamming so fiercely in her chest, almost threatening to bust through. She grappled at her restrains so tight that her knuckles became white. It was all too surreal, sneaking past the guards to go to the ground. She could feel the ship vibrating beneath her feet and she couldn't believe that she was here and alive.

Internally, Atalanta panicked. Her mind raced, trying to think back to her medical training on Phoenix, when she would shadow Abby Griffin. She remembered a little girl. Her parents had been floated, and she was traumatized. She had trouble getting a grasp on reality, something that Atalanta has struggled with a lot in her past and was struggling with now.

 _"Alright," Mrs. Griffin had addressed the girl calmly. "Keep your eyes shut. Now deep breaths, sweetheart, deep breaths."_

Atalanta clenched her eyes shut tighter. _In, out_ , she thought to herself. _In, out._

 _"Find something to focus on," Abby continued. Atalanta was training with Clarke, both of them at the bedside with Abby. "Focus on a happy place."_

"A happy place," Atalanta muttered to herself, barely audible compared to the excited chattering of the prisoners around her. Close by, she could've sworn she heard someone saying her name, but she was too scared to open her eyes. "Find your happy place."

Suddenly, she was back on the Ark. Her mind carried her to Wells' living quarters, where they sat playing a game of chess. Clarke was there too, watching with a keen eye as Wells declared checkmate.

 _"You cheated!" Atalanta accused, frowning in defeat. "Clarke, tell him that he cheated!"_

 _Clarke shrugged. "I wish I could. You know, Wells, it wouldn't kill you to lose for once."_

 _Atalanta picked up one of the knights and pegged it at Wells, and he threw his hands up to shield himself. Clarke grabbed a piece as well, opening fire with Atalanta. Wells hollered out his surrender, all three of them giggling uncontrollably._

Atalanta's hands loosened on her restrains. They were only thirteen then. It seemed like so long ago when the three of them were all together, laughing and playing. With her eyes still closed, the corners of her mouth lifted in remembrance. She released a sigh of content. Sitting on the Exodus ship, she would soon be among the sky, but her head was already in the clouds. She mentally reached out for peace, delving further into her head.

The scene melted away and a new one appeared. This time, her mind took her to Rhett. She was with him, thoughtlessly running her fingers through his mop of hair. Her breathing became slower as she calmed down, just imagining the soft texture against her skin.

 _"Atalanta Reese,"_ he would say, his voice filled with the passion of a supernova. _"I love you more than the moon and the stars combined."_

Atalanta opened her eyes. Inside her chest, her heart had finally stabilized. Her breaths came out even. She wasn't sweating anymore. As she slowly became aware of her surroundings, she realized that someone actually was saying her name.

" _Anna_ ," a voice said urgently. "Anna, it's me. You're ok, it's ok. Anna..."

Atalanta's vision cleared, and with a flood of relief, she saw those warm dark eyes that were so familiar to her. "Wells," she sighed. Maybe she knew what she was doing when she stumbled towards this seat.

"Atalanta," he exhaled. His eyes were wide with shock and anxiety. "I can't believe you're here."

When she initially saw him, she was at ease. But as she looked at his worried expression, a wave of anger came over her as she remembered the last time that she saw him. "Yeah, well, I had to be a bit creative to get on, since you took the fall for the crime that _we_ committed," Atalanta snapped, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I can't believe you, Wells! We were supposed to be arrested together, you know."

Wells sighed, scratching his head. "I'm sorry, Anna. I was trying to protect you. This...Earth...it's a suicide mission. I couldn't let you die in radiation too."

He gestured over to Clarke, who was sitting on his left. She was knocked out with anesthesia, which, Atalanta assumed, was because she put up a fight when they tried to board her. It was such a _Clarke_ thing to do that Atalanta's heart swelled with the overwhelming urge to cry. She had missed Clarke. After they locked her up, Atalanta's dad would sometimes sneak her in to visit, but that ended after her father resigned from the guard.

Atalanta looked back at Wells and her anger started to dissolve. Him being here was such a _Wells_ thing to do that her urge to cry increased. He'd always try to protect the ones he loved, even if it meant abandoning Atalanta on the Ark and riding to his death with Clarke.

Suddenly, too overcome with emotion, Atalanta broke out into a smile, tears about to spill. Wells observed her cautiously, confused. But as he saw her blue eyes light up, Wells couldn't help but smile too. "The three amigos are back?" he said, sounding unsure.

"Definitely," she replied with a nod, swallowing with a dry throat. "I couldn't let you and Clarke go to Earth alone. And..." Rhett's name hung in the silence, and Wells' expression darkened. He didn't say anything. A pit started to form in Atalanta's stomach. "Have you seen him?"

Wells shook his head, gulping as he watched the color slowly start to fade from Atalanta's face. "No," he said. He saw Atalanta's cute little nose wrinkle up in dismay, and he was quick to comfort her. "But don't worry, we'll find him."

He reached over and grabbed her clammy hand, and she held onto it tightly. She smiled at him appreciatively, glad that she didn't have to do this alone.

Next to Wells, Clarke started to stir, and Atalanta perked up. A completeness was forming inside of her, the unexplainable feeling of being reunited with her two best friends at once.

"Welcome back," Wells said. Atalanta offered a smile, examining Clarke carefully as she registered her surroundings. Her eyes focused on Wells and she scowled. Wells gulped, "Look-"

"Wells, why the hell are you here?" Clarke cut him off harshly, and Atalanta bit her lip. She had almost forgotten about the fight that Clarke and Wells had. Maybe it wouldn't be a happy reunion after all.

"When I found out they were sending prisoners to the ground, I got myself arrested. I came for you," Wells said. Atalanta squeezed his hand for encouragement. She knew that Wells never did anything wrong, but Wells made her promise that she wouldn't tell Clarke that. He said that the truth would hurt her even more than hating him would, so he made the ultimate sacrifice. For that, Atalanta would always put Wells on a pedestal. He was too good of a person to have to deal with any of this. He deserved better than being sentenced to a planet saturated in radiation.

"And Atalanta?" Clarke said in astonishment, blinking as if she were hallucinating. "Is that a guard uniform?"

Atalanta blushed, shifting in her large jacket. "It's my dad's old one. I had to sneak on somehow."

The ship suddenly jerked aggressively, and Atalanta released a scream. She instinctively tightened her grip on Wells' hand. His grip was just as tight. From around the ship, the other prisoners squealed in surprise.

"What was that?" Clarke asked, her mouth hanging open in fear.

"That was the atmosphere," Wells replied.

Overhead, a TV screen switched on, dragging Atalanta's attention away from Clarke. The Chancellor's face appeared, and Atalanta felt Wells tense next to her.

"Prisoners of The Ark, hear me now," Chancellor Jaha started, and Atalanta found a weird humor in the fact that she wasn't actually a prisoner. "You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."

"Your dad is a dick, Wells," someone shouted from across the ship.

Wells' jaw clenched and he turned his head the other way as the Chancellor proceeded with his speech. "If, however, you do survive, those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean."

He rambled on with meaningless details about survival, but no one aboard was really paying attention. For next to Clarke, it appeared that someone had unbuckled their restrains.

"Spacewalk bandit strikes again!" a prisoner shouted.

"Go, Finn!" hollered another.

"Check it out!" they exclaimed.

Atalanta saw him, hovering in the zero gravity besides Clarke's seat. Something about the instability of space always scared Atalanta, and she gasped as she noticed the boy named Finn immaturely playing around in it. She recognized him, for her dad used to keep intel on all of the people that got arrested.

Finn looked up at Wells. "Your dad floated me after all."

"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy," Wells said, just as anxious as Atalanta was.

Nearby, others were eager to undo their restrains as well. "Hey! You two!" Clarke called. "Stay put if you want to live!" She was always nervous for the health of others, a quality that made her a natural doctor. She was just like her mother.

"Hey," Finn said, redirecting his attention from Wells to Clarke. "You're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year."

"You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk," Clarke shot back. Atalanta smiled to herself. When she first decided to sneak onto this ship, she was worried about the people she'd be on Earth with. She'd be undefended among murders. To her, it didn't really matter, knowing that it was worth it to be with Rhett again. But she did worry about her friends.

Although now, as Atalanta watched Clarke hold her own against Finn, she knew that she had nothing to worry about.

The ride was increasingly bumpier. "Stay in your seats!" Atalanta called out, wishing that everyone would stay still. Nobody payed attention to her, though, and right as a kid undid his straps, the ship jolted as the parachutes released.

Prisoners were thrown against the walls of the ship from the force, causing some pipes to come undone. Fog and smoke billowed up in the confined space, and Atalanta's throat tightened in terror. Everyone started to scream again, adding to the sharp hissing of the machinery to create a very loud scene.

"Finn, are you okay?" Clarke yelled over the noise.

Sparks flew overhead and the panic resumed in Atalanta's stomach. _This can't be happening,_ she thought. _I made it this far. I can't die now. I haven't even seen Rhett yet..._

Next to her, she vaguely heard Wells and Clarke talking. She tried to listen in, hoping that the familiarity of a conversation between the three of them would calm her down.

"I'm sorry I got your father arrested," Atalanta heard Wells say, and she cringed.

"Not the time, Wells," she muttered, although she doubted that he could hear her over the ruckus.

Clarke shot him a murderous look. "Don't you talk about my father!"

"Please!" Wells tried. "I can't die knowing that you hate me!"

Atalanta's insides lurched at the mention of dying. It was too soon. She was too young for this. She wasn't even _meant_ for this. She wasn't a prisoner. She volunteered for this. _I'm insane,_ she thought to herself.

"They didn't arrest my father, Wells, they executed him! I do hate you," Clarke replied. She ignored him, looking past his shoulder to lock eyes with Atalanta. She must've noticed Atalanta's panic, for her face softened in the way that it did whenever she was working with patients. "We'll make it through this! It'll be ok, I promise!"

Atalanta, her mouth pressed into a firm line, managed to nod. She wiggled her hand out of Wells', finding it not stable enough to keep her from dying. Besides, she was clenching so hard, she didn't want to break his hand. So instead, she clung to her restrains.

And then with one last bounce from a defening crash, the yelling from the prisoners hushed down. The machines stopped humming. Everything was oddly quiet.

"Am I dead?" Atalanta thought aloud, breathing heavily. She peaked out of her eyes, looking around her. She realized it wasn't so quiet anymore, for the noise started to build back up as everyone started to unbuckle their seatbelt.

Atalanta could only sit frozen in her seat. Clarke, in contrast, jumped to her feet to check on the people who were flung around when the parachutes released. Atalanta's instincts told her to do the same, but she couldn't feel her legs.

"Finn, is he breathing?" Clarke asked.

Finn solemnly shook his head.

Atalanta heard voices from below as someone shouted that the doors were on the lower level. She numbly fumbled for her restrains. _The ground. I made it._

"No!" Clarke shouted, abandoning the boy on the floor to join the gathering crowd. "We can't just open the doors!"

She started climbing down the ladder and Atalanta moved to follow, but she still battled her restrains. But then Wells was there, helping her undo the straps.

"Are you ok? Can you walk?" he asked, his face etched with concern as he put his arms around her shoulders to help her to her feet.

Atalanta nodded. "I'm fine. C'mon, we have to see what's going on."

Downstairs, she heard Clarke arguing that the air was toxic, her voice distinct above the others. "If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway," another voice fought back. Atalanta's ears perked up at this, pushing Wells away as she hurried towards the ladder. She knew that voice.

She stepped on the ladder, the floor below her already filled with the prisoners. But she spotted him almost immediately, standing at the door, a sore thumb in his guard uniform. She grinned to herself, remembering how merely minutes ago he was the only thing that stood between her and getting to the ground. Now they were both here together.

"Bellamy?" a small voice called, and the boy in the uniform twisted around to watch as a brunette girl hopped off of the ladder opposite of Atalanta's. She dropped to the floor of the drop ship and pushed her way to the front to where the boy stood.

"That's the girl who hid under the floor," someone said, and Atalanta immediately knew what he was talking about. That was Octavia Blake. Atalanta's father was particularly upset when they had to arrest her. He always hated witnessing the unfairness of the council, and to find someone who had been hiding her whole life to keep her family safe had been the last straw for him. He resigned the next day.

"My God," the boy at the door said. The girl had called him Bellamy. _Bellamy Blake,_ Atalanta recalled. _Her brother_. The pieces fell into place as Atalanta remembered reading Octavia's profile. "Look how big you are."

Octavia wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. As she pulled away, she surveyed him. "What the hell are you wearing, a guard's uniform?"

Atalanta finished her climb on the ladder and tried to blend in with the crowd below. It dawned on her that the criminals in the room wouldn't be too happy if they noticed her guard uniform, too. She knew that several of the people here were convicted for assaulting guards, and they would jump on the opportunity if they thought that she was one.

"I borrowed it to get on the drop ship. Someone has got to keep an eye on you," Bellamy said, and Atalanta smiled to herself. _Of course he would risk everything for his sister._ She was glad that Bellamy had found her, whereas Rhett wasn't anywhere in sight.

Clarke said something to Bellamy that was drowned in the scuffling of the prisoners, but Octavia's voice was heard by everyone as she said, "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year."

"Nobody has a brother," someone said.

"That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor," another person replied.

A look of annoyance crossed over Octavia's face and she lunged, probably fed up with all of the comments and wanting to punch someone in the face. Atalanta understood and felt sorry for her, not even being able to imagine what her life must've been like.

"Octavia, Octavia, no!" Bellamy caught her, trying to calm her down. "Let's give them something else to remember you by."

Octavia pushed off of her brother. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years," Bellamy said, grinning. Octavia looked at him for a moment in thought before her face broke out into a smile. She stood next to Bellamy as he pulled the lever that opened the door of the drop ship.

Slowly, it lowered to the ground, like a drawbridge dropping to close the distance between a castle and a field. Except in this circumstance, this door was dropping to close a gap that hasn't been crossed in a hundred years. In this moment, they were eliminating the distance between Earth and space, and it was intense.

Atalanta was towards the back of the crowd, but it didn't matter as the light flooded in, filling up every dark crevice of that small space. Her mouth hung open in awe, her eyes wide as they soaked in their first view of real light, not that artificial crap she had been living with on the Ark. No-this light was real, and it was beautiful. Atalanta's breath hitched in her throat.

You learn about colors whenever you were little on the Ark, but Atalanta had never imagined that they would be so vivid. The greens and the blues and the browns, all mixing together like vibrant paint colors across a canvas, made everyone on the ship fall silent as they took it all in. Back home, it was all machinery and technology and gray drabiness. Here, it was what life was truly supposed to look like. As those doors opened, Atalanta was no longer the "little blonde Reese girl from Phoenix". That girl didn't exist anymore. That girl died when she left the Ark, and a new one was created when she landed on the ground. Her newborn eyes crinkled as they adjusted to the sun, her first moment of a life that was worth living.

Atalanta couldn't see Octavia descend down the ramp, but she could see the tops of her hands as she raised them to the brilliantly blue sky, as free as the green trees that swayed in the breeze. Oh, the green and the breeze. She was never a prisoner, but Atalanta had never felt more free than she did when the wind somersaulted through her hair.

"We're back, bitches!" Octavia screamed. Chorusing from around her, Atalanta and the prisoners finally expanded their lungs and shouted with the freedom of the ground, yelling at a volume that was considered "too loud" on the Ark.

Here, nothing was too loud. Nothing was was artificial. Nobody knew Atalanta Reese for who her dad was.

Here, everyone had a second chance, whether they were a prisoner or a stowaway. Here, reinvention birthed between these 102 sky people.

Atalanta was possessed with the biggest smile that had ever graced her face as everyone ran towards the fresh grass. She could only stay paralyzed to spot, not wanting to ruin the amazing moment. Next to her, a lanky boy with goggles atop his head scoffed.

"Screw Jaha," he said.

And despite the fact that she was never a prisoner, she suddenly felt mad, like she was robbed of a real life in her 17 years. She didn't have to be in a cell to be trapped.

She licked her lips with a sparkle in her eye. "Screw Jaha," she agreed. And with that, she ran for the new world with the speed of the singing birds the flew overhead.


	3. Cadet Annie

The ground had a particular smell, one that was so gloriously foreign to Atalanta. Yet it was so strong and pungent, that in a way, it was comforting. She gleefully buried her head in the grass, deciding that the smell of the fresh soil and perpetual sky was her new favorite scent.

Jasper sat in the grass next to her. The two of them had tumbled to the ground mindlessly after screaming "screw Jaha" for a good minute. Atalanta looked over at him, seeing his cheeks pink from excitement. His eyes were so wide and alight, an expression that radiated pure joy. She imagined that she had the same look on her face.

Causing a delighted uproar from the prisoners scattered across the ground, a brisk gust of wind blew in from the east. Everyone gasped, hugging themselves as they experienced their first true breeze. Atalanta's skin shivered beneath her jacket, but her hands felt so warm against the ground. Everything about Earth just seemed so warm and lively, she just wanted to wrap it around her like a blanket. But when she pulled at the weeds, it only broke off into her palm. She examined them with a huge grin.

"I'm here," she whispered to herself, so giddy she could cry. "I'm actually here."

"Anna?" Wells spoke up from behind. He had been watching her silently, the sight of her happiness more breathtaking than the rest of the ground. She jumped in surprise, and Wells chuckled. "Enjoying yourself?"

Her only response was a content sigh, and Wells laughed again. As he looked at her, he couldn't fathom what he had done to of been lucky enough to be on Earth with her. Out of all of the things in the universe, it was what Wells had been dreaming of since they first met.

As Jasper ran off with another boy, Wells took his place next to Atalanta. The wind pushed her hair up into her face, and Wells instinctively reached over and tucked it behind her ear. She grinned gratefully at him.

"Are you cold?" he asked, noticing how cool her rosy cheeks felt against the back of his hand.

She shook her head, her eyes so full of liveliness. "No. I mean, that breeze was kind of chilly, but it's so warm here. Just feel the ground!"

Atalanta snatched his hand and pressed it to the surface of the Earth, her small one forceful on top of his large one. His palm remained cool against the ground, but he did feel warmth where his skin touched hers. He looked up at her awe-struck face and a startling cold flooded his body, despite there not being a single puff of wind in the air.

He looked away and retrieved his hand, clearing his throat. "If you're not too cold, you might want to take your uniform off," he said, quickly changing the subject. "Some prisoners might take it as a threat."

"Good point," she replied, unfazed by Wells' sudden awkwardness. He mentally sighed in relief, but as she stripped off her jacket to reveal a thin t-shirt underneath, the tension in his shoulders reappeared.

"I...um..." he muttered, blinking in effort not to stare. He turned his head from her to clear his thoughts, and his eyes landed on Clarke. "Clarke!" he exclaimed in a desperate effort to distract himself. "There's Clarke!"

Atalanta stood up as Clarke marched over to them, her face set in a hard grimace. Wells gulped. He knew that face too well and it usually didn't mean anything good. She had a map in her hands that she surveyed intensely, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

"Clarke-" Atalanta started, but Clarke cut her off before she could finish her thought.

"They dropped us on the wrong mountain," she said, cutting straight to the bad news. She never sugarcoated anything. "Mount Weather is on the other side of the forest. We won't have any food or supplies unless we can get there."

Wells glanced over at Atalanta and saw her jaw drop slightly, and he felt his own stomach dip. "Then where are we exactly?" she said, the anxiety clear in her voice. Anxiety was always something that she's struggled with, although she's never actually told Wells about it. He just knew, and it was one of the reasons why he felt so obligated to protect her. He felt obligated to protect all of his friends. Even Clarke, despite her hating him.

"I'll go see if we can contact the Ark," he said immediately. He put an assuring hand on Atalanta's shoulder. "Maybe they can help."

She gave him a small nod, and he quickly trotted off. That protective instinct inside of him had been triggered, and he wouldn't let anything distract him until he knew that Atalanta and Clarke would be safe.

His mind had been blurred in thought and it seemed to cloud his vision, for he didn't notice the boy standing in his path. He harshly bumped against his shoulder, and the boy was shoved forwards.

Wells skidded to a stop, blinking wildly. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I wasn't paying attention."

The boy turned around, and Wells had a sharp intake of breath as he saw his face. The boy recognized him, too, for he smiled.

"Wells? What are you doing here?" he exclaimed. He stuck out his hand, and when Wells offered his to shake it, the boy pulled him into a hug.

A weight sagged in Wells' gut as it did every time he saw him. "I got myself arrested. For Clarke."

"Clarke? Are you guys like... a thing now? She your girlfriend?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Wells shook his head. "No. Nothing like that at all. Just a friend." At the mention of _girlfriend_ , a blonde girl did enter his mind, but it wasn't Clarke.

"Oh. I would've thought you'd stay on the Ark...with _Atalanta_ ," the boy said, his expression falling at the mention of her. His voice seemed to quiet as it said "Did you see her before you left? Have you spoken to her?"

Wells hesitated. The voice inside of his head told him to speak the truth, but his aching heart forced him to keep it locked up. "No. Not since I was arrested. I'm sorry."

The boy frowned, clearly troubled. But he forced a grin as he looked back up at Wells. "Ok. Thanks anyways, Wells. I'll see you around?"

Wells nodded. "See you around, Rhett."

As they parted ways, Wells' heart outspoke his mind once again. _Don't tell Atalanta,_ it said. And once again, he listened.

Atalanta stood with Clarke next to the ramp of the dropship, which Clarke was using as a makeshift table for the map. She used a small pipe as a guideline as she traced the distance between their location and the mountain they were supposed to be on.

"How far away are we?" Atalanta asked, leaning over her shoulder.

Clarke shook her head, her whole body tense with thought. "Too far. There's a whole forest between us."

Atalanta gulped in worry. Another regret formed in her head, about the 30th one since she snuck onto the ship. "So...what? We _starve_?" She was yet again reminded that she volunteered to be here. While it was exhilarating to be on Earth, Atalanta couldn't escape the thought that it was a suicide mission. She nervously fiddled with her jacket sleeves that she had tied around her waist.

Clarke had the same look on her face that her mom got whenever she was dealing with a really sick patient. It was the kind of look that showed that they were thoroughly thinking of every possible solution, but none of them looked good. Atalanta hated that look.

"Can we get there before nightfall?" Atalanta asked. Clarke backed out of the way and let Atalanta get a better view, and she looked at the mountain in thought.

Before Clarke answered, though, Wells reappeared. "We got problems. The communications system is dead. I went to the roof. A dozen panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."

Clarke frowned at this, but put it to the back of her mind. "Well, all that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather."

Atalanta nodded her agreement and waved Wells over to the map. She laid it flat on the ramp and let Clarke explain it to him. "This is us"-she pointed to a marked spot and then ran her finger along the pipe-"This is where we need to get to if we want to survive."

Wells seemed impressed. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked Clarke. It was a perfectly fine question, one that Atalanta thought about asking herself. But Clarke's face immediately grew solemn as if she had been punched. Wells stilled, and Atalanta took a small step back.

"...your father," he guessed the answer his own question, and Clarke ducked her head.

Thankfully, Jasper suddenly walked over, breaking the unbearable tension. Atalanta looked up from the map and smiled at him, proud to of made a friend already.

"Ah, cool, a map," he called to Atalanta as he approached. "They got a bar in this town? I'll buy you a beer." Atalanta giggled at him. He seemed so easy and fun to be around. But then all of the sudden, his smile was gone, and Wells' hands were on Jasper's chest, pushing him back.

"You mind?" he said venomously. Atalanta blinked, taken aback by his aggressiveness. She's only seen Wells like that a few times before, and those times were very rare occasions. He was usually the epitome of a pacifist.

"Whoa," Jasper said nervously.

Instinctively, Atalanta reached out and grabbed Well's arm. "What the hell are you-"

"Hey, hey, hey, hands off of him. He's with us," a guy to the left called. Startled, Atalanta's hand fell away from Wells, and Wells stepped away from Jasper. She gulped as she looked at the boy who had spoken, recognizing him from his profile. That was John Murphy: someone she had mentally made a note ahead of time to stay away from.

Wells put his hands up in a calming gesture. "Relax. We're just trying to figure out where we are."

"We're on the ground," someone said to the right, and Atalanta bit her lip as she looked up and saw Bellamy, Octavia behind him. He was still wearing his guard uniform, making Atalanta feel oddly naked since she had stripped her jacket. "That not good enough for you?"

"We need to find Mount Weather," Wells replied, walking towards Bellamy. Clarke followed him, but Atalanta sulked next to the ramp. She didn't handle confrontation well. "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

Octavia spoke, insulting both him and Clarke. This caused the delinquents to get riled up, and a crowd began to form. Atalanta had to admire Clarke and Wells for trying to attain some order, but everyone else didn't share the same view. They didn't want rules, and they definitely didn't want a Griffin or a Jaha in charge.

As Clarke argued back that they didn't care who was in charge, Atalanta started to notice how many prisoners had piled in, everyone getting closer to the scene. Her eyes left Clarke as a thought occurred to her, and she internally kicked herself for not trying to look for him earlier.

 _He's got to be here,_ she thought to herself. _Where is he?_

She didn't think it would be hard to find someone who had been contained in the same place for so long. Except here, there were so many of them. So many of them had dark hair just like his, and some even had green eyes like his. As the people closed in, Atalanta shyly crouched further under the ramp of the ship, deciding that trying to find him now was impossible.

But then she heard the sound of a hit connecting with a body, and a grunt that she immediately identified as Wells'. Her eyes widened within seconds and before she knew what she was doing, she was rolling out from under the ramp. She charged for him, trying her hardest to push past the onlookers. They were all cheering as John Murphy kicked Well's ankle, and Atalanta ached for him as she heard the bone crack. She cried out, as if the strike had injured them both.

"Stop!" she screamed. Except the only person that seemed to hear her was Bellamy, and she saw his expression change as he recognized her. Someone from Murphy's gang grabbed onto her arms to hold her back, and Bellamy looked away.

Murphy put his fists up in a fighting stance, and Wells weakly did the same. Atalanta could see the pain and panic on his face. "Stop!" she tried again, desperate. She fought against the hands gripping her, but they wouldn't budge.

Her head whipped around wildly, but nobody seemed to care about the fight. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. She almost gave up hope, but then as she searched frantically for help, she could've sworn she saw him. Somewhere in the crowd, distinct among the others. But when she looked again, he was gone.

Then, a flash in her eye, Finn jumped down from a wide pipe on side of the ship, landing in between Wells and Murphy. Everyone grew silent, and Atalanta felt the knot in her throat loosen in relief.

"Kid's got one leg," he said. "How about you wait until it's a fair fight?"

Murphy looked Finn in the eye, probably debating whether or not he should attack him too. The delinquents watched in apprehension, the silence tense.

"Hey Spacewalker!" Octavia called, releasing the stillness. "Rescue me next."

The prisoners chuckled, and the tension was broken. Murphy retreated with a hateful look on his face and slowly, the crowd started to disperse. But the guy holding Atalanta back still had her in his grasp, tightly holding her despite the fight being over.

"Let me go!" she said, trying to whip around to see his face, maybe to spit in it. He ignored her.

"Hey, you! Let her go!" a more authoritative voice said, and Atalanta looked over to see Bellamy, firmly pointing at the man who held her. Almost immediately, the guy let her go. For a fleeting moment, Atalanta met Bellamy's eyes. She didn't get the chance to shout a thanks, for right as her lips moved to form the words, he had turned on his heel and pulled Octavia into a conversation. Atalanta frowned, but the thought quickly fled her head as she saw Wells.

He sat feebly on the ramp, and Clarke was already examining his ankle. Atalanta ran towards him, and as she saw the swelling, it was like a switch flipped on inside of her. She was suddenly all business, mentally walking through her medical training.

She squatted on the other side of his leg, across from Clarke. She very gently rotated his ankle, only slightly, and Wells grunted in pain. She shared a look with Clarke.

"Broken?" Atalanta wondered aloud. Clarke was always more experienced when it came to healing. During their training, Atalanta got into the bad habit of checking with Clarke to make sure that she was doing the right thing. After that, it wasn't just with medicine. Atalanta started to go through Clarke before she did anything. At times, it was like she was her backbone, the only thing holding her up.

Before Clarke could reply, Finn appeared next to her. "So Mount Weather. When do we leave?"

Clarke, Wells' ankle forgotten, stood to face Finn. "Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food."

"How are the two of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?" Wells asked from where he sat weakly on the ramp.

Atalanta scoffed. "Three," she said, standing as well. "Right now, that's the main priority."

"No," Wells said, shaking his head. "You're not going, too. There's no way both of you can leave." Atalanta sensed that there was an unspoken _without me_ at the end of his sentence.

Atalanta looked at Clarke for support, but she only shrugged. "He's right. You need to stay to tend to his ankle. You're the only other person who knows what to do."

 _Except I don't,_ Atalanta wanted to say. _I need you, just to be certain. Just to make sure I don't screw anything up._ But Atalanta only nodded and sunk back down to the ground in defeat. She propped Wells ankle up on her leg, second-guessing herself as she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She glanced up at Clarke for a approval, but she wasn't paying attention.

Finn turned around and grabbed Jasper and an asian boy, who, after a second, Atalanta recognized as Monty Green. "Four of us. Can we go now?" Finn said.

"Sounds like a party," said Octavia as she walked up to them. "Make it five!"

Bellamy stomped after her, grabbing her shoulder. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Atalanta's posture unconsciously straightened as the siblings approached.

"Going for a walk," Octavia replied. Atalanta hid a smile. She had a feeling that her and Octavia would get along.

"Hey," Clarke said, looking at Finn's wristband. "Were you trying to take this off?"

Finn seemed unfazed. "Yeah. So?"

"So this wristband transmits your vital signs to The Ark. Take it off, and they'll think you're dead," Clarke replied, and Atalanta made a small _ohh_ sound.

"So that's what those do," she muttered, earning her a sideways glance from Monty. She blushed, not realizing she had said that out loud.

"Should I care?" Finn replied.

"Well, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead?" Clarke said. "Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."

For the first time since she left home, Atalanta thought about her dad. A pang went through her, and she didn't realize until then how badly she missed him. She wondered if he would've noticed by now that she wasn't on the ship. He must be a nervous wreck. Regret possessing her, she looked up to Finn from where she sat on the ground. "Um," she spoke up shyly. "...maybe you could just keep it on, please?"

"I agree with Anna," said Monty with a curt nod of acknowledgment. Atalanta raised her eyebrows in surprise. He knew her name, and she got a feeling it wasn't because her father was a guard. It was the first sign that she was already being recognized as someone other than her father's daughter, and she couldn't be more pleased. Reese was a proud name, but Atalanta was tired of being known by that and only that.

Clarke paused and waited for Finn to shoot back with a snide comment, but it never came. "Ok," she said. "Now let's go."

They started to walk off and Octavia looked up at her brother pleadingly. Bellamy had a grim expression, but he gave her permission anyways. "Go on," he said, sounding like he was already regretting it.

Octavia reached up onto her toes and pecked him on the cheek in thanks, jogging to catch up with the others. Atalanta looked at Bellamy as he watched her go, and as Clarke hung back for a second to talk to Wells, she found an opportunity. She carefully moved Wells' ankle off of her leg and approached Bellamy.

"Hey," she said, slightly nervous. She wondered if he hated her. It was a bizarre thought, for she really didn't do anything wrong, but she did kind of risk his chance of seeing his sister. That wasn't an easy thing to not be threatened by.

But when his eyes focused on her, they lit up in amusement. "Hey, Cadet." He glanced at the jacket that was tied around her waist, allowing his gaze to slowly crawl up her body and back to her eyes. She shivered.

Part of her mind wanted to correct him, since she was wearing the uniform of her post-Commander father, not Cadet. But the other part was trying its best to ignore his invasive stare. She cleared her throat, "Your sister," she said. "That's who you came down here for."

He nodded. "And for you?" He looked away from her eyes and over her shoulder to where Wells sat on the ramp of the dropship behind her, cringing in pain. "The Chancellor's son? Doesn't seem worth the trouble to me."

Atalanta recoiled. She didn't know what to expect when she approached him, but she definitely didn't expect him to be so...snarky. When she met him initially on the Ark, he didn't seem completely heartless. Yes, he was slightly cold, but she understood that he was just trying focus on what needed to be done in order to see his sister.

But now? He was just being unnecessarily rude. Atalanta crossed her arms over her chest in defense, lifting her chin into the air as she realized what kind of person she was dealing with.

"Not exactly," Atalanta replied, a bit more attitude in her voice than before. "I came for my boyfriend."

"Oh," Bellamy said, his eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "And where is he?"

Atalanta bit her lip. "I'm actually not sure."

Bellamy smirked as if he was used to being right all of the time. "So my opinion remains: it doesn't seem worth the trouble."

"What's it to you?" Atalanta spat, growing angrier by the second. "You got on the ship, didn't you? Maybe I was the one thing that stood in your way, but that doesn't explain why you're being so bitter."

He laughed humorlessly, a dark secret hiding within his words. "You weren't the only thing that stood in my way," he said, and Atalanta quirked an eyebrow in curiosity. But before she could ask, Bellamy quickly changed the subject. "And I'm not bitter. I'm teasing."

Atalanta rolled her eyes. "Teasing? What are you, seven? And to think, I actually came over here to thank you for telling that guy to let me go."

As Atalanta talked, Bellamy seemed to relax into the conversation, the smugness leaving his face. As his arms uncrossed, she finally started to recognize him as the boy she met on the Ark: not a complete douchebag. He shrugged. "That was no big deal. For some reason, they listen to me."

"I can't imagine why," Atalanta mumbled.

"Look who's being bitter now," Bellamy pointed out with a grin.

Atalanta bashfully ducked her head. "You were asking for that one." Bellamy rolled his eyes and looked like he was trying to hide a smile.

"But yeah," Bellamy continued. "Some of these prisoners seem like decent people. Not all of them are murderers. Jasper and Monty and Finn-they seem alright, that's why I let Octavia go with them. There's a few others I met, like Dax, Rhett, Caleb-"

"Wait," Atalanta cut him off. She hadn't been paying full attention, but at the mention of Rhett's name, her ears practically stood like a dog on all fours. She blinked, "What did you just say?"

"Rhett?" Bellamy repeated, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. "He was one of the firsts off the ship. I think he was arrested for-"

"Stealing a necklace," Atalanta finished for him. Stealing _her necklace_. Her whole body started to throb in excitement, knowing that she was so close to finding him.

"Yeah..." Bellamy said slowly, clearly confused. "I think I saw him by the clearing. Anyways, the others-"

"No, stop," Atalanta said, and Bellamy visibly sagged in annoyance as she cut him off yet again. She didn't care, though. She was too busy shaking her head in disbelief, the eagerness in her body making her hands shake. "I, um, I think I just found what I've been looking for. Thank you, I guess."

She smiled to herself in amazement, pushing past Bellamy and starting towards the edge of the forest. According to Bellamy, he couldn't be further than a couple of feet away, somewhere in the swarm of prisoners. And with that news, every doubt in her mind evaporated, and the determination resettled in her stomach.

"No problem, Annie," Bellamy called after her.

Deep in thought, she had only vaguely heard him. And despite her mind being locked into concentration mode, her feet hesitated for just a second. She stopped walking, pausing briefly before slowly turning around to look at Bellamy. " _Annie_?" The last time someone had called her that, she was 5 and she was wearing pigtails in her hair.

"Is that not your name?" Bellamy said, looking at her from where he stood, a few feet away from her.

Atalanta made a face, shaking her head. "No. It's not."

Before he could reply, Atalanta decided that she couldn't waste anymore time. She turned back to her mission, taking off across the camp that people had started to put together. Her skin now itched, every part of her screaming for him.

Before, she had started to doubt that he was even on Earth. But now that she knew he was close, she wouldn't rest unless she was falling asleep within his embrace under the stars.


	4. Atalanta's Necklace

"Rhett!" Atalanta called. "Rhett!"

As she passed by the prisoners, they shot her weird looks. She hardly noticed, her eyes only looking for him. So many people here were about his height, with his same shade of dark hair. Around her, the faces so similar to his started to blur. She almost convinced herself that she forgot what he looked like.

It has been a long time since she's seen him, face to face. The last time was the night he got arrested. His eyes were filled with terror and pain as the guards seized him.

 _"What's your name, boy?" one of the guards asked. Atalanta recognized him immediately-he was a close friend of her father's-and she tried to hide her face. If her father knew that she was out past curfew, especially with a boy, he would not be happy._

 _Rhett winced. "Rhett Spencer. I'm sorry we're past curfew, I was just walking her back to her living quarters."_

 _"I'm afraid that's not why we're here," the guard said. He reached into one of the pockets of his uniform and pulled out a folded up paper. Once he unfolded it, a picture of a necklace was on it. "Do you recognize this, Mr. Spencer?"_

 _From her spot off to the side, Atalanta looked closely at the picture and tried not to gasp. It was the same one that she had saw at the Exchange weeks earlier. She told Rhett just how much she admired it, and he told her how he wished he had enough credits to buy it for her. They left the exchange, and Atalanta had forgotten all about the necklace. Now here it was, on the picture in Commander Henry's hand._

 _Rhett gulped as Atalanta ducked her head. "I've never seen that before, Sir."_

 _The Commander narrowed his eyes at Rhett. "Really? Never before? Ever?"_

 _The tension in the room sparked Atalanta's curiosity, and despite her fear that Henry would recognize her, she dropped the hand shielding her face to peer over at Rhett. She saw him pale, and that's when she felt her own stomach drop._

 _He stole the necklace. He stole it for her. There was no doubt in her mind. All of the sudden, she felt sick._

 _Rhett shook his head, persistent in his lying, and Atalanta panicked._ Just tell them the truth, _she wanted to say._ Maybe if he's honest, they'll go easy on him _. His eighteenth birthday was months away. She couldn't let him be floated._

 _She also partially felt like it was her fault. It was her fault for mentioning the necklace to her incredibly loving boyfriend. He always talked about how all he wanted was for her to have everything she wished for. Maybe this time he went a little far, but it wasn't his fault. He thought he was doing the right thing to keep her happy._

 _Rhett's eyes met hers and a tear fell onto her cheek. He saw it in her eyes, for they said it all: she knew that he was guilty. Rhett exhaled slowly. He pressed his lips into a firm line. Then finally, after looking at her long and hard, he closed his eyes and nodded._

 _"I stole it," he confessed, his voice hollow. "It was me. I'm sorry."_

 _Henry looked at Rhett with sad eyes, even a little bit of pity, Atalanta thought. He tiredly glanced at the other two guards holding Rhett and sighed. "You heard him. Lock him up."_

 _Rhett calmly bowed his head and let the guards bind his wrists, accepting his face. But as they started to walk him towards the Sky Box, Atalanta couldn't help herself. She had been silently crying, but now she lost it._

 _"No!" she screamed. "Please! Don't take him!"_

 _Commander Henry grabbed her arm to hold her back, and she didn't care anymore if he saw her or not. She just needed to get Rhett back. He was vastly disappearing down the hall, and she couldn't let him get away._

 _"Miss Reese," Henry said._

 _Atalanta ignored him. Rhett's eyes remained on hers as he walked away, his head turned over his shoulder. The guards told him to look forward, but he resisted._

 _"Miss Reese," Henry said, more firm. Again, Atalanta was unaffected._

 _"No," she muttered to herself. "Rhett..."_

 _"Atalanta!" Henry said for the last time, this time much more forceful. Practically a yell._

 _Rhett disappeared around the corner, and Atalanta collapsed in Henry's arms, sobbing uncontrollably._ They took him, _she thought._ They just took him. And it's all because of me.

 _"You took him," she cried against Henry's shoulder. "He's not bad! He would never steal-"_

 _"This is his thirteenth offense, Atalanta," Henry said._

 _Atalanta stopped. Slowly, she pulled away from Henry to look at his face. Her own face was expressionless, all of her thoughts running wild. "What?" she said. She never thought that her own voice could sound so heart breaking._

 _"He's stolen a few things before," Henry said. "I haven't been able to track him down until now."_

 _Atalanta felt a lump form in her throat. "Oh," she said, numb._

 _"He also had an accomplice. I actually wanted to talk to you about that," Henry continued._

 _Atalanta sniffed, shaking her head as she wiped away a tear. "I won't tell you anything." So many things swam around in her blinked, dizzy. It just didn't make sense. Rhett, a thief?_

 _"Talk to me and I won't tell your father."_

 _Atalanta peaked up at him. When she saw that his eyes were sincere, she crossed her arms. "Ok. I'm listening."_

 _"Our investigation shows he's been working with someone. A guard informed me that you two had a relationship, but I've known you since you were a baby. You couldn't be guilty of anything like this," Henry explained._

 _Atalanta snorted, becoming bitter towards her lying boyfriend as the truth settled in. "I'm not as stupid as Rhett apparently is." She wanted to kiss him and punch him all at once... But mostly kiss him._

 _"I was hoping you could tell me if he has any friends, though. Anyone who might, well, steal things with him?"_

 _"I'm not so sure," Atalanta answered, rubbing her arms. She was suddenly cold. "Rhett's always been more of a lone wolf. After his mother got floated..."_

 _Henry made a grim face, and Atalanta looked at her feet._ He's even more alone now that he's in a cell _, Atalanta thought._

 _"Ah. So no friends?" Henry clarified._

 _"Not that I know of."_

 _Henry massaged his forehead, stressed. "Alright. Thank you for your help. I'll walk you back to your living quarters now."_

 _"Ok," Atalanta replied. They started down the hallway, and Atalanta couldn't help but notice that it was the same hallway the guards had ushered Rhett down minutes before._

On the ground now, Atalanta shivered. She definitely remembered his face. She even remembered his voice. Although, she didn't recognize it at first when it spoke from behind her.

"Atalanta?" he said.

Atalanta froze. It couldn't be. She had been looking for him for so long, there was no way that he could've found her first.

She slowly turned around, and as she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes. Apparently he could find her first, and he did.

"Rhett..." she breathed. "Oh my God, Rhett."

Before she knew it, she was in his arms. His hands were gliding up and down her back, his face nuzzled in her neck. Her tears soaked the collar of his shirt, but she didn't think he'd care.

Over the course of months she hadn't seen him, hadn't touched him. She had built up this imaginative Rhett in her mind, one that didn't quite have as soft of hands as he did, or hair that flopped the way his did. It was her way of coping with the hatred she felt towards him after learning about his thievery, or the unresolved love she still had for him.

But now, as she was in his embrace, she realized that she had been cheated in thinking the imagined Rhett was anywhere close to the real one. This Rhett was the one who held her hand as they raced down the halls of the Ark pass curfew. This Rhett was the one who draped his jacket over her shoulders when she got cold. This Rhett was the one who kissed her softly every night on her doorstep, careful not to wake up her father.

This Rhett was here on Earth with her, and until she ran into his arms, she thought the ground was the warmest thing about this planet.

Rhett pulled away. "Atalanta what're you-"

"I came for you," Atalanta said, her words rushed and excited. "I snuck on the drop ship for you."

"Atalanta-" Rhett tried again, a troubled expression on his face.

"I love you," Atalanta interrupted.

Rhett's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He shook his head, taking her hands into his. "Atalanta, I'm a thief. I lied-"

"I know, and I don't care. I love you so _so_ much."

She pushed up onto her toes and kissed him, her lips conveying all of the unused passion she had for him over the months they spent apart. He kissed her back, his own lips trying to tell her just how sorry he was. She forgave him, gathering his face in her hands.

They pulled away after prisoners started to shout "get a room!" as they passed by them. Atalanta shyly glanced at them, her face as red as a beat. She even saw Bellamy walk past them. He met Atalanta's gaze for a moment, then looked at Rhett. He scoffed, rolled his eyes, and continued on his path over to Murphy. Atalanta turned away, embarrassed.

Rhett slid a finger under her chin, lifting her head up to his. As he looked into her eyes, he chuckled slightly. "I can't believe you," he said. "You're here. You're actually on the ground."

"I know!" Atalanta said, still reveling in the fact.

"And sneaking on the drop ship? That's nothing like you. What happened to you over the past few months?" Rhett asked, his green eyes like shining emeralds.

Atalanta smiled. "I've changed. For the better, I think."

Rhett pecked her on the forehead, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I'd love to get to know this new and improved Atalanta. Think she has the time for a loser thief like me?"

He flashed her his charming smile, and she nearly melted. "She shouldn't, but you owe her an explanation. Lets go sit down somewhere."

She took his hand and he smiled. And she might've imagined it, but for a second, she could've sworn that his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Y-You did what?" Atalanta stammered, folded over in giggles. They had left the campsite hours ago and sat on the forest floor, a little ways away from the drop ship. Her legs were slung across Rhett's lap, but her arms were being scratched by the grass.

Rhett tried to speak over his laughter. "I stole Finn's toothbrush."

"Finn? As in the spacewalker?" Atalanta asked. Rhett nodded. "Why? How? I just... What?"

Rhett chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't even remember, really. Me and you never really hung around with the same crowds, and while you were training, I would hang with Finn and a girl named Raven. The toothbrush thing was probably just a stupid prank. But, as you requested to know, it was something I've stolen in my life."

Atalanta lightly hit his shoulder. "I had no idea you were so mischievous. What did you steal after that?"

Atalanta found herself coping with the fact that her boyfriend was a thief surprisingly well. Once they sat down, she demanded to know everything he has stolen and why. She expected to be mad at him. For all she knew, he was a complete kleptomaniac. But once he explained why he did everything that he did, it was hard to blame him. Atalanta still didn't think that it was forgivable to steal anything, but it was justifiable. Rhett wasn't innocent, but he wasn't bad.

Rhett's face darkened. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, after the toothbrush, I, uh, stole the necklace."

"Oh," Atalanta said softly.

"Yeah," Rhett said, avoiding her eyes. When he spoke again, he spoke looking at the ground. "I'm sorry that I did it. I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did. The truth is, I have no good reason for why I stole it."

Atalanta reached over and grabbed his hand. He looked up at her, confused. "It's ok," she told him.

"Really?" he said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Because I will never forgive myself. Just remembering the look on your face that night... Anna, I'm so sorry. I've always known what the worst parts of myself were, but I tried to keep them hidden for you. In the end, I was just lying to you."

Atalanta kissed him lightly, unable to find another way to convince him that she forgave him. When they pulled away, Atalanta remained close to him. "I've forgotten about it. It's in the past. Lets just...start over, maybe?" Even as she spoke, she knew she was lying to herself.

Rhett nodded. "Alright. Well, tell me about you. Apart of the guard now?" he teased.

Atalanta had unwrapped her jacket from around her waist and wore it, for the night was chilly. Rhett tugged a sleeve playfully. "It's my dad's, actually. He retired from the guard while you were locked up. I stole it to sneak onto the ship."

Rhett grinned. "You stole it? Guess we're not that different."

Atalanta grinned back, but internally her stomach rolled over.

"You and Bellamy had the same idea," Rhett said, and Atalanta's ears raised at the sound of his name. "He's also in a guard uniform, but he's far from being apart of the real guard."

Atalanta frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Have you met him? The only Major that guy could be is a Major Asshole. I've only ever seen him be nice to his sister," Rhett said. "Which is weird, considering he's a total womanizer."

"Oh," Atalanta replied, slightly disheartened. "I mean, yeah, he's kind of asshole-ish. But overall I think he's been fairly civilized towards me."

Rhett looked at Atalanta with something in his eyes. "You're friends with him?"

Atalanta shrugged. "I don't know. I met him outside the drop ship. I talked to him a few hours ago. He was the one who told me where you were."

"Nice of him," Rhett said. "Just...do me a favor? Stay away from him. I don't trust him."

"But Bellamy said you guys were friends," Atalanta said, thinking about earlier when Bellamy said Rhett was one of the decent ones.

"We're friendly. I don't want to get on his bad side. But that doesn't mean I trust him," Rhett replied. "Just please stay away?"

The new, independent Atalanta wanted to tell him to piss off, she could handle herself. But when she looked up at him, she was suddenly the old Atalanta. She would do anything for him.

She nodded. "Sure."

Rhett kissed her forehead. "Thank you. Oh, I saw Wells earlier."

"Really?" Atalanta asked. _That's weird,_ she thought. _He would've told me..._

"Yeah. He's a nice guy. It's good you have friends on the ground," Rhett said.

She made a mental note to interrogate Wells later. But as Rhett said "friends," it echoed inside of her head, and a thought occurred to her.

"Hey, Rhett? Remember the night you got arrested? Commander Henry pulled me aside to ask me some questions. He said you had a partner in your crimes. Asked me if I knew any friends that you could've been working with," Atalanta said. "Who was it?"

Rhett's expression stiffened. He opened his mouth, but words didn't form. Instead, he took a long breath. "Uh," he said. "I don't..."

In the distance, there was shouting. Atalanta's head shot up, and so did Rhett's. It was coming from the campsite.

"Do you hear-?"

"Yeah," Rhett said. "C'mon."

They jogged back, the shouting getting louder as they approached. Once they got closer, they saw the ring of prisoners, all gathered around a fire.

"Whatever the hell we want!" they all cheered. "Whatever the hell we want! Whatever the hell we want! Whatever the hell we want!" They were relentless.

Forgetting about Rhett behind her, Atalanta pushed her way into the group. At the center, she saw Bellamy and Wells. They seemed to be squaring off.

Oh no. "Wells!" Atalanta called. She couldn't let them fight, especially not with Wells crippled.

Him and Bellamy turned to look her way. And before she could say anything else, rain started to fall.

Atalanta gasped as she felt it hit her skin. At first, she was too shocked to react-it was real rain, from the sky. But after a few seconds passed, she pulled off her jacket and let it fall to the wet ground. She stood still as the rain pelted her bare arms and ran down her cold face. She released a laugh in happiness.

A thought occurring to her, she wiped the water away from her eyes and looked around for Rhett. The prisoners had dispersed and the dark made it difficult to see, but she finally spotted him. He was a ways away from her, close to the drop ship. And she almost ran to him so they could enjoy the storm together, but she stopped when she saw that he was talking to a girl.

Atalanta let her shoulders sag, but after a moment, she convinced herself that it was probably one of his friends. Instead, she saw Wells. He was carrying some buckets, and she ran to help him.

"Wells! You shouldn't be on your ankle, you need to be resting," Atalanta scolded, a little proud of how doctorly she sounded.

"I need to collect some water," he protested, but Atalanta took the buckets from him.

"We'll leave them to set out here. Come on, let's go sit down. Get some rest."

Wells paused for a minute to look at her, the water dripping down his nose. "It's still raining. It'll be hard to sleep."

Atalanta shrugged then hooked her arm through his. "We'll make due."

Together, they walked off and found a base of a tree to get comfortable against. They were quiet for a while, the rain still pouring, and Atalanta could tell that Wells had something on his mind. As soon as the storm passed, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Bellamy and the others are trying to take everyone's wrist bands off," he said. "They want the Ark to think we're dead."

Atalanta almost sat up completely. "We can't let them do that. My dad's still up there."

"So is mine," Wells said, his face grim. "We'll come up with something to stop them. We have to."

She could sense his apprehension, but he was trying to comfort her. She nodded, appreciative. "Ok. You're right. Tomorrow we'll come up with something."

She let her head fall on his shoulder as they got comfortable. And soon, they drifted off to sleep.

Except when Atalanta woke up the next morning, Wells wasn't there.


	5. Now She Sees Him

Atalanta bolted upright the next morning, her body aching. She moaned, making a mental note to never sleep against a tree again. Except Wells had been sleeping against the tree with her, and now he wasn't anywhere to be found.

Her head pounded and she was slightly dizzy-a side effect of standing up too fast. She blinked and slowly, her bearings started to return. She realized there was shouting in the distance, and without hesitation she broke into a sprint.

As she got closer, she realized that people were chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" She gulped, forcing herself to run faster. Somehow, a part of her just knew that the skirmish included someone she cared about. She immediately winced, thinking about Wells and his injured ankle. But then she thought about Rhett and how disturbed he seemed by Bellamy, who was a bonafide hothead and almost certain to pick a fight.

When she reached the crowd of people, she couldn't see over anyone. She tried to push her way to the front, but no one let her through. She heard Bellamy's voice declare "fair fight," and her stomach dropped. It had to be Rhett down there, somehow pulled into this brawl.

"Rhett!" she screamed over the excited prisoners. Some shed her weird looks, but most were too bloodthirsty to care. "Rhett!"

She felt a hand on her waist and she jumped. Turning around, she met Rhett's worried green eyes and sighed in relief. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I thought it was you down there," she explained to him, her mouth against his ear. "I thought you picked a fight with Bellamy."

Rhett pulled away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I might be a thief, but I'm not _that_ stupid," he said jokingly, but his face was all but humorous. "It's not me down there, but you should be worried. Murphy pulled a knife on Wells. Come on."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along a narrow path between prisoners, positioning them only a few feet behind Bellamy. Atalanta watched in horror as Murphy swiped at Wells with his blade. Wells was doing his best to dodge, but the sharp edge managed to catch his shoulder.

The prisoners made noises in excitement, but Atalanta only lurched forward on instinct. Rhett snatched her arm and held her back, and Atalanta could only watch helplessly as Murphy charged at Wells angrily.

And just when she thought she couldn't watch anymore, Wells grabbed at Murphy and twisted him around, putting his knife up to his throat. Atalanta gasped, surprised by his skill but also wondering where he got a knife. She glanced at Bellamy, glaring as she realized that that's what he must've meant by a fair fight. She would have to yell at him later.

"Wells!" Clarke shouted, suddenly appearing from the trees. Atalanta smiled as she saw her, almost forgetting how lost she was without Clarke here. "Let him go!"

Wells reluctantly threw Murphy onto the ground, but Murphy tried to jump on him again. This time, Rhett finally let go of Atalanta and she ran forward. But before she could get there, Bellamy held Murphy back. As Bellamy pushed Murphy away, his eyes met Atalanta's, and she gave him a curt nod. _Thank you_ , it said. Bellamy nodded in return, and then went to his sister.

After helping Octavia down the rest of the slope of the hill, Bellamy turned to Clarke and Finn. "Where's the food?" he demanded. Atalanta, her hand on Wells' arm for reassurance, looked at Clarke. Her face was haunted, as if she might cry.

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," Finn said. Him, Clarke, Monty, and Octavia exchanged looks. There was something they weren't telling them. Atalanta glanced at each one of them and frowned. Where was Jasper?

"What the hell happened out there?" she spoke up, the four of them scaring her. She needed answers.

"We were attacked," Clarke fessed up.

"Attacked? By what?" Wells asked.

Finn's eyes were grim. "Not what. Who. Turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder."

"It's true," Clarke said. "Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here. Survivors." Before she let anyone react, Clarke continued. "The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

"Yeah, the bad news is the Grounders will," Finn mumbled.

There was silence, and Atlanta was once again aware that Jasper was missing. "Jasper..." she whispered.

Wells heard her. "Where's the kid with the goggles?" he asked Clarke.

"Jasper was hit. They took him."

Atalanta felt her blood run cold. When Finn first declared that the Grounders would kill them all, the possibility still seemed like a long shot that Atalanta didn't quite believe. But now knowing that they took Jasper, one of their own, so harmless and innocent, Atalanta had the urge to hide away and cry.

Rhett appeared next to her and laced his hand with hers. As Clarke noticed that Wells' wristband was gone, Rhett pulled Atalanta aside, taking her face into his free hand.

"Hey, it's ok," he told her. "We'll figure something out. I'll keep you safe."

Atalanta could only manage a nod, her unease making her green. Rhett's hand was cool against her warm face, and slowly, she felt her sickness dissipating.

"You idiots," she heard Clarke say, and Rhett's hand fell to his side as they turned to look at her. "Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us!"

"My dad," Atalanta muttered, and Rhett's wide eyes met her own. His dad was also still on the Ark.

Bellamy stepped forward, shaking his head. "We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

The delinquents started to cheer, riled up by Bellamy's words. They listened to him, Atalanta realized, and she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

Rhett tugged on her hand. "C'mon. Lets get out of here."

Atalanta followed him back to camp, her skin crawling. No matter where she went on this planet that she believed was full of freedom, she now felt like she was being watched from every angle. To make it worse, she lost her jacket the night before when the rain fell. A prisoner probably stole it, so now she walked in the cold in a thin shirt. However, she knew that it wasn't just the cold that was making her shiver.

"I want you to start sleeping in the drop ship," Rhett told her. "I don't know where you ran off to last night, but the woods aren't safe. Not anymore."

Atalanta could hardly listen to him, thinking of the way Jasper's eyes were so alight. He was the first friend that she had made on the ground. He was so youthful and happy. Now he was miserable, and maybe even dead.

"Atalanta?" Rhett spoke. They stopped walking so Rhett could stare at her blank face. "Are you even listening to me? This is important."

"I need to help him," Atalanta said, her voice shaking. But she's never felt more confident.

"What? Help who?" Rhett said.

"Jasper. He might still be alive. I don't know if Clarke is gathering a team or not, but I will."

"The hell you are," Rhett said. "Just let them take care of it. You don't know what you're doing, Anna."

"Neither do they!" Atalanta protested, getting angrier. "Nobody knows what they're doing, because encase you haven't noticed, we've been living in space all of our lives. So, excuse me."

She pushed past him and made her way across the clearing. Rhett trailed behind her stubbornly, but didn't try to stop her. She found Bellamy off to the side, helping Octavia with her leg.

"Hey," he said as she approached. "You're a doctor, right? Mind taking a look at this?"

Although she had a mission in mind, the trained healer inside of her was alerted at the sight of Octavia's injury. "Of course," Atalanta said. She crouched down and looked at Octavia's leg, watching her wince as she gently touched the skin around the wound.

"It's not too bad, but it will get infected easily. You need to keep it covered, and don't do too much activity until it starts to heal," Atalanta told her. Octavia nodded, smiling in thanks.

Bellamy looked at her as well, his eyes shining with gratitude. "Alright, you heard her, O. Now, how can I help you, Annie?" He ignored Rhett's presence behind Atalanta's shoulder and gave her his charming grin. She heard Rhett make a noise.

Atalanta rolled her eyes at the name, but didn't let it discourage her. "I need a gun. Think you could help me out?"

Bellamy glanced around and then lifted the hem of his shirt, discreetly flashing her the gun in his waistband. Atalanta fought off a blush.

"Perfect. Will you come with me?"

"Where to exactly?" Bellamy asked, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion.

"To rescue Jasper."

Octavia stood up. "I'll come, too."

"No," Atalanta and Bellamy said in unison, and after Bellamy and her shared a look, Atalanta shyly closed her mouth and let him speak to his sister. "This is too dangerous. And like Doctor Annie said, your leg will get infected."

Atalanta rolled her eyes again, but this time, she couldn't let the name slide by. "Doctor Annie? Seriously?"

"I'm just as confused as you are. I though you were a Cadet," Bellamy said, teasingly drawing his eyebrows together in mock-puzzlement.

Atalanta scoffed. "Anyways-"

"Atalanta," Clarke said, approaching them with Wells behind her. "You shouldn't go either. You're too valuable."

"What? No way!" she protested. She realized that she sounded like a child, but she didn't care. "You made me stay here last time, and I will not sit by and let everyone else go get hurt."

"You should listen to her, Ann," Rhett spoke up, and Atalanta had forgotten that he has followed her. "It's not safe."

"Ok, so it's settled," Clarke said. "Bellamy and I will go."

"And me," Octavia said.

"Atom, Murphy!" Bellamy called. The two of them trotted over like puppy dogs. "Murphy, you're coming with me. Atom, my sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?"

"And I'll keep an eye on Atalanta," Rhett said to Clarke, and she nodded at him. He slung his around around Atalanta's shoulders, and Atalanta let her head droop. She felt so small.

Bellamy met Atalanta's annoyed gaze, then he looked to Rhett, and then to Rhett's arm around her. "Actually," Bellamy spoke. "Why not let Blondie go? She's right. You guys did leave her here last time."

Atalanta smiled in success, leaving Rhett's side to join the four. Rhett glared at Bellamy but didn't say anything.

"Then I'm coming too," Wells said. "Atalanta and I were both left out last time."

"Fine," Clarke said. She looked stressed, and Atalanta pondered when the last time she slept was. "Lets go, then."

As they passed, Rhett grabbed Atalanta's hand. He quickly pecked her cheek. "Stay safe," he said. Atalanta gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled, then quickly caught up with the others.

Wells walked alongside Atalanta, who walked in between him and Clarke. It wasn't smart for her to come, but once she set her mind to something, she was unstoppable. Even Rhett, her oh-so-precious boyfriend, couldn't convince her to stay.

"Hey, hold up!" Bellamy called. Him and Murphy were lagging behind, which was fine with Wells. He'd rather they didn't come, even if a gun was useful. "What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart."

He was waving his gun carelessly, a little too close to Atalanta for Wells' comfort. "Put the gun away, Bellamy," Wells ordered. He subconsciously moved in front of Atalanta, shielding her from Bellamy.

"Well, why don't you do something about it, huh?"

"Jasper screamed when they moved him," Clarke said matter-of-factly. "If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste."

"As soon as you take your wristband off, we can go," he said. _Of course that's what this is about_ , Wells thought. He should've known that Bellamy wouldn't voluntarily help save someones life out of the goodness of his heart, even if Atalanta was the one who asked him to do so.

Murphy pushed Wells back, so all he could do was glare angrily at Bellamy. Atalanta said, "Bell-" but before she could say anything else, Murphy pulled her away as well.

Clarke was unfazed, squaring off. "The only way the Ark is going to think I'm dead is if I'm actually dead. Got it?"

"Brave Princess," Bellamy remarked. Wells wanted to hit that smug look off his face.

Behind them, the trees rustled. Wells tensed, knowing that he couldn't defend himself if Murphy continued to hold him back. But then Finn appeared, making a remark to Bellamy. Wells relaxed. He wasn't particularly fond of Finn, but as he make his way over to Clarke, Wells realized that he wasn't half bad.

"Got to split up, cover more ground," Finn said. "Clarke, come with me."

Finn started forward with Clarke, and Murphy nudged Atalanta forward. They started off together, and Wells was left with Bellamy. Wells kept his eyes on Atalanta, though. He still didn't trust Murphy.

"Guess we got more in common than meets the eye, huh?" Bellamy said.

"We have nothing in common," Wells replied.

"No?" Bellamy persisted. "We're both here protecting someone we love."

Wells gave him a sideways glance, and Bellamy raised his hands in mock surrender. "Your secret's safe with me. 'course, for you it's worse. With Rhett around, Annie doesn't even see you. It's like you're not even here."

"Atalanta," Wells said through gritted teeth.

"What?" Bellamy said.

"Her name is Atalanta."

Wells walked past him, leaving behind his smug little ass. Maybe he didn't hate Bellamy as much as he hated Murphy, but he definitely wasn't his favorite person. He wasn't even close.

Except after what Bellamy said, Wells started to think about his own favorite person, and if he was close to being hers.

They had been hiking for what seemed like hours, and it was a harsh adjustment for Atalanta. Walking on the ground was different from walking on the Ark, and it didn't take long for her muscles to start to ache.

She had been walking alongside Wells, Murphy, and Bellamy. She spoke mostly to Wells, pointing out geographical things as they went. Atalanta was so amazed but how lively everything was. There was so much green. It seemed like it went on forever.

They crossed the stream, finally catching up to Clarke and Finn. They seemed to have stopped to take a break in the water, for they were both drenched. Atalanta smiled secretly, watching the two of them. She didn't think it would be long before they got together.

Compared to the other boys, Finn seemed to know where he was going, so Atalanta decided to stay near him. The boys trailed behind her.

"Hey, how do we know this is the right way?" Murphy questioned.

"We don't. Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker," Bellamy said.

Atalanta glanced at Finn, remembering his profile in her dad's archives. "It's called four-year earth skills. He's good."

"You want to keep it down or should I paint a target on your backs?" Finn said, and Atalanta couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She closed her mouth, realizing that this mission should be taken more seriously.

Suddenly from the distance, there was a cry. All of their heads shot up. Finn said, "What the hell was that?" even though they all knew.

Atalanta glanced at Bellamy. "Now would be a good time to take out that gun." And then she darted off, following Clarke through the forrest.

They found him fast, pushing past branches to walk into a clearing. And there Jasper was, half naked and beaten, strung up to a tree. Atalanta hesitated, her heart wrenching in her chest. He looked miserable, maybe even dead. But then she saw his chest heave up and down, and she realized he was alive. She sighed with relief, allowing her legs to carry him towards her.

She charged towards him, ignoring Wells' comment to wait. Clarke did too, but Finn reached forward and grabbed her arm, holding her back. But nobody held Atalanta back, and she ran straight into a trap.

The ground underneath her feet gave way, and for a millisecond, she was falling. The breath caught in her throat, but before she could react, and strong grip was around her hand.

Shaking, Atalanta looked up and found Bellamy. His gaze was as firm as his grip. She looked into his eyes, a place that she once thought was so shallow but now seemed impossibly deep. He was dangerously unpredictable to Atalanta, but as he held her, she knew that he wouldn't let her fall. She exhaled, trying to focus on his eyes rather than the fact that her legs were dangling freely.

"Pull her up, pull her up!" the rest of the team shouted. They ran forward and helped Bellamy, and Atalanta was forced to break their eye contact.

"You okay?" Clarke asked her, all of them panting.

Atalanta nodded. "I'm fine. Lets just get Jasper down and get out of here."

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Finn said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you," Wells said.

"No. Stay with Clarke and Atalanta. And watch him. You. Lets go," Finn said. Him and Murphy approached the tree.

"There's a poultice on his wound," Clarke noticed. Atalanta looked up at his chest and saw the green medicine spread over it and frowned.

"Medicine? Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?" Atalanta questioned.

"Maybe what they're trying to catch likes its dinner breathing," Bellamy suggested, and Atalanta grimaced.

"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Finn added.

They stood uneasily, and Atalanta just wished they would get him down faster. They were out in the open, and she felt so exposed.

"Hurry up, Murphy," Finn chastised.

Atalanta watched them, but then from behind, she heard growling. She whipped around, her eyes wide.

"What was that?" she asked, her heart pounding. They all were still, and the hairs on Atalanta's back stood straight up at alert.

Then not twenty feet away, a giant animal appeared. Atalanta never learned much about animals on the Ark, so she didn't recognize it immediately-maybe a cougar? But all she need to know was that he looked mean, and hungry. Atalanta made a sound in the back of her throat. She moved closer to Bellamy, knowing that he had the gun. Bellamy instinctively spread his arms out, guarding her.

"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke said, her voice frantic.

Except when Bellamy reached for it, it wasn't there.

The cougar attacked, and Atalanta screamed. Right before it reached them, there was a gunshot. Atalanta looked up to find Wells, pointing the handgun with wild eyes. The cougar roared and disappeared in the bushes, hiding.

The bushes rustled, and they stood in apprehension, waiting for it to jump out again. Except this time when it pounced, it had its claws outstretched towards Bellamy. Bellamy's arms wrapped around Atalanta before she had time to react.

Atalanta braced herself for impact, but before he hit, Wells had already fired the gun again. The cougar crumpled to the ground, and Atalanta could only gasp. Slowly, Bellamy stood and released Atalanta. She looked up at Wells, too stunned to speak. In her shock, she could only smile. She laughed slightly in disbelief, her eyes shining.

Bellamy looked at him as well. "Now she sees you," he said. But Atalanta's eyes had already left Wells' face, and they now looked at Bellamy's. She thought about the way he threw his body over her without a second thought, and something inside of her shifted.

Rhett was wrong. Bellamy wasn't a major asshole. He may act like it, but Atalanta knew that deep down, Bellamy was genuine. Even if he didn't want to be, he couldn't help it: he was good. Atalanta just had to try to bring it out.

Once they got back to camp, Murphy and Bellamy delivered the cougar, who became dinner. The hungry prisoners gathered around them excitedly, ignoring the fact that the other four carried Jasper's limp body. Clarke and Atalanta rushed past the campers, trying to clear a path to lead Jasper into the drop ship.

"I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandage," Clarke ordered, and Atalanta got on it. She dashed away, her adrenaline making her blood pound in her ears.

She ran over to where most of the supplied were gathered when the people started building the wall. On the tables, she found cloth. She quickly ripped some, her hands shaking.

Knowing she'd have to boil the water over a fire, she decided to get some twigs to kindle one. The camp was almost empty over there, for everyone was eagerly trying to get food. But as she started towards the pile of wood, there were two people there, and Atalanta recognized one of them as Rhett. He was talking to the same girl he was talking to the night before, nearly hidden by the shadows of the newly-built wall. Except this time they seemed to be in a heated argument.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Atalanta carefully walked towards them. From where she was, she could catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

"You can't," she heard Rhett say. "You don't understand."

"No, I understand," the girl replied. She sounded very upset. "You have to realize how this looks from my end. How it _feels_. It hurts. It hurts a lot."

Atalanta reached them. "Hey," she said. The girl looked at her with a weird expression, and it looked like she had tears on her face. Rhett jumped in surprise. But once he realized it was her, he hugged her. She reached up to hug him back, but he had already pulled away.

"Thank God you're ok," he said. "You're not hurt, are you?" He had an unreadable expression on his face. He was acting very strange.

Atalanta shook her head. "I'm fine." She gave her best warm smile to the girl he was with. "Who's your friend?"

The girl stuck out her hand and grinned, although it looked forced. Her grip was tight, and it squeezed Atalanta's hand unpleasantly. "I'm Logan."

"Oh," said Atalanta, trying to suppress her surprise. When she read Logan's profile, she assumed that Logan was a boy. But that wasn't what stuck out to her when she read it: Logan was arrested for thievery. And Atalanta knew the moment that she was arrested.

 _"Atalanta," Commander Henry said, stopping her in the hallway on her way to class. "How are you today?"_

 _Atalanta nodded curtly. She had to make herself look at his face, for every time she saw him she couldn't help but remember the night Rhett was arrested. "I'm good. And you?"_

 _"I'm great, thank you for asking. I'm glad I found you, Miss Reese," he said. "I thought you'd be pleased to know that we caught Mr. Spencer's accomplice last night."_

 _Atalanta's eyes widened. She hadn't heard of Rhett in weeks, not since he was arrested. She was almost convinced that the whole thing had been a dream. She bit her lip anxiously. "Really? Who?"_

 _"That I cannot tell you. I'm sorry," he replied. "Just wanted to give you some sense of closure."_

 _Atalanta nodded. "Thank you," she said, hiding her disappointment._

 _"Of course. I should get back to my shift," he said._

 _Atalanta watched him walk away, her mind whirling with all of the people who could've helped her boyfriend be a criminal._

Atalanta looked at Logan now and frowned. When she first saw Logan's file, the possibility had occurred to her that she could be the one who was helping Rhett. Of course at the time, she didn't know that Logan was a girl. That changed everything.

"Hi," Atalanta said, feeling uncomfortable. "It was nice meeting you, but I really need to go. I have to help Jasper."

"Ok, I'll find you later," Rhett told her. She nodded and turned away, peaking back over her shoulder once to see Logan glare at Rhett for what he said.

Atalanta walked away so quickly, she was practically running. Her head throbbed in confusion, her thoughts moving at a mile a minute. She tried to take slow, calming breaths as she reached the drop ship.

She sat down next to Clarke, handing her the cloth she gathered. But then she realized that she forgot to grab the boiled water and cursed herself.

"I'm so sorry," she said. For some reason, she felt like she would cry. "I'll be right back."

"Hey, hey, Atalanta," Clarke said, grabbing her hand. "It's ok, Finn got it. Are you feeling ok?"

Atalanta sat back down, her breathing rapid. She was wheezing now, and she couldn't stop it. She couldn't slow it down, and she knew what was happening. She was having an anxiety attack.

"I-I..." Atalanta tried, but she couldn't get any words out.

Clarke was immediately alert, her doctor mode switched on. "Is it...?" Atalanta nodded. Clarke was the only person who knew about her panic attacks. She had gotten them ever since she was really young, and Clarke had always been there to help her. Clarke had figured out when they were ten that concentrating on something always seemed to calm Atalanta down, which was how Atalanta got involved in the medical unit. The training put her brain on a track, making all the other stressful details fall away.

But now, there was nothing to train with. There were no math textbooks or chemical equations Atalanta could busy herself with. She felt her chest heave uncontrollably, tears wetting her face.

"Atalanta, what's wrong?" Clarke said. "Talk to me. Please."

"Rhett..." Atalanta gasped. "Rhett...I think...I think he's...bad."

As she spoke, her tears overpowered her lack of oxygen. As she sobbed, air slowly started to come more easily to her.

Clarke gently touched her hand. "What do you mean he's bad?"

"He's..He's a thief," Atalanta said. "And he worked..with..a girl...and I don't know what to do."

The only think from keeping her breathing normally now were her sniffles, which is how Atalanta knew that she wasn't having a serious anxiety attack. She was just upset.

Clarke realized this too, and pulled Atalanta into her arms. "Hey, shhhh. What do you mean you don't know what to do?"

"I love him," Atalanta said. "But...I feel like he's...still lying... to me."

"I'm sorry, Anna. I wish I gave better advice about this stuff," Clarke said. "If it's worth anything, you're doing amazing here. I hope you know that."

Atalanta smiled through her tears. She was so thankful for Clarke. Atalanta hated to have break downs, and she tried to hold a firm posture in front of everyone. Clarke was the only one who knew how broken Atalanta truly was. And while Clarke was naturally strong herself, she always showed her soft side for Atalanta. They were each others rock, and it's been that way every since they were toddlers.

"Thanks, Clarke," Atalanta said. She wiped her eyes, and as she drew her hands away, her gaze fell on Jasper, who laid unconsciously on the floor of the drop ship. "What do we do now?"

Clarke sighed. She looked beyond exhausted. "We stabilize him until we can get medicine. Monty's working on contacting the Ark..."

Atalanta sniffled, finally believing that she had calmed down. "Ok. I'll go check on him."

"No, don't worry about it. You need some fresh air," Clarke told her, squeezing her shoulder with a kind smile. "I'll go check on Monty and catch up with you in a second. Go get some food."

"But Clarke-"

"Just go. I'm right behind you, I promise." Clarke waved her off, her voice a weird mixture of doctorly and motherly. Atalanta gave her an appreciative smile and left.

Outside, she saw the campers lining up by the fire. She didn't understand what was taking so long until she got closer. They were taking off their wristbands in exchange for food.

She marched over to Bellamy, who stood by the fire. She was still unstable from her fit, and she shoved him. Bellamy reeled back, already cursing before he saw who had pushed him.

"Watch it," he said without turning around.

"You just killed my father," Atalanta told him. Although she was angry, her voice came out small and heartbroken. "I hope you know that."

It must've been something in her voice, because Bellamy turned around instantly. His eyes landed on her and his expression fell. "Wait... Were you crying?"

"Just get out of my way."

She pushed past Bellamy and grabbed a spear of meat. As she walked away, she felt Bellamy's eyes on her back. She ignored them.

She found Wells off to the side and sat down with him. When he looked at her, his face softened the same way Bellamy's did.

"Are you ok?" he asked carefully. Atalanta has always suspected that Wells knew about her anxiety issues, but he never said anything. He probably assumed that she would tell him if she wanted too, and just for that, she appreciated him immensely.

She nodded. "I'm fine," and she knew that eventually, she would be.

Over at the drop ship, Clarke emerged. Atalanta let herself relax, taking a bite out of her meat.

"I saw Rhett over there," Wells mumbled. "If you want to go sit with him."

"I'm ok right here," Atalanta said. She laid her throbbing head on Wells' shoulder and closed her eyes, wondering if every day on Earth would be as crazy as this one.


	6. Inconveniences

The anguished moans of Jasper filled the drop ship, forcing everyone awake. Including Atalanta, who stayed at Jasper's side. Rhett had found her after dinner and tried to get her to go to bed with him somewhere on the ship. But Atalanta couldn't sleep, and she didn't feel like being close to Rhett at the moment.

Monty sat with her, still working on contacting the Ark. Clarke was there too, but she was dozing in and out of sleep. Atalanta encouraged her to lie down, but Clarke refused. Jasper was her patient, and she wouldn't relax until she knew he was ok.

Atalanta had to understand, but she wished Clarke would rest. The bags under her eyes were starting to become more prominent. "Clarke," Atalanta said. "You should really-"

"For the last time, I'm fine, Anna," she said, smiling softly. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"I'm not really tired," Atalanta replied. And besides, she knew that Jasper's screams would keep her awake. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Clarke rubbed her eyes with a sigh. "Yeah, sure. Um...you could go get some fresh water if you want."

Atalanta stood, rubbing her cold hands together. She really wished she hadn't lost her jacket. "I'm on it. I'll be right back."

She climbed the ladder down to the bottom floor of the drop ship, relieved to get away. Jasper's cries were starting to make her spine shiver. Except as she stepped out of the ship, she continued to hear screaming, and she wondered if they were haunting her.

She registered that the screams weren't Jasper's anymore. These screams were higher-pitched, and more scared. And as she heard them, Atalanta had a strange sense of deja-vu. She looked towards the noise and saw a small figure curled up by a tree, and the tension in her shoulders released. She realized why she recognized those screams.

Atalanta approached her, gently laying a hand on her back. The girl jumped instantly, bolting awake. "Charlotte? Hey, it's ok. You're ok," Atalanta said, her voice soft.

Charlotte blinked. "Doctor Reese?" Atalanta smiled. Despite being only a medical technician, Charlotte had always called Atalanta "Doctor". It made Atalanta feel good.

Atalanta knew Charlotte from the Ark. She suffered terrible panic attacks and bad nightmares. She had been Atalanta's first patient, one that she connected with since they had that condition in common. The last Atalanta had heard of Charlotte, her parents had been floated. After that, she never saw Charlotte in the medical unit again.

"Yeah, it's me," Atalanta replied. "Still getting nightmares?"

Charlotte sniffled, her eyes red and puffy. She nodded shyly. "It's... my parents. They were floated and they... and I see it in my dreams and I just..."

"Hey, hey, it's ok," Atalanta said, gently patting her hand. "I was worried about you after I heard the news. I knew it couldn't of been easy on you."

Charlotte nodded again, wiping at her eyes. She stayed silent, a haunted look on her face.

"You know, I thought about you when I was on the drop ship," Atalanta said, and Charlotte's head peaked up. "I was kind of freaking out on the ride down to Earth. I couldn't really control it. I remembered you and your episodes and how you were _so_ brave. I thought _man. I wish I could be as awesome as Charlotte_."

Despite herself, Charlotte shed a small smile. "Really?" she said, her eyes sparkling through the tears.

"Really," Atalanta said, playfully shoulder-bumping her. "And I know you're brave enough to start over here on Earth. I know it's different from the Ark and that can be really scary, but it's also so incredible. There are no bad things haunting you here. There are no prison cells, no guards. You can be whoever and whatever you want to be. Panic attacks be damned."

Charlotte's grin grew wider. "Can it really be that easy?"

Atalanta shrugged. "If you believe it can, then of course."

"Thank you, Doctor Reese," Charlotte said. She wrapped her arms around Atalanta. "I can always count on you."

Atalanta patted Charlotte's head, tears prickling in her eyes. Often at times, she thought that she had no business in training to be a doctor. She wasn't half as talented or as smart as Clarke. But as she held Charlotte, Atalanta realized that she was equally determined as Clarke. Not because she thought she was the best doctor, but because she knew that she was doing something she loved.

"Try to get some sleep now, ok?" Atalanta told her. Charlotte's eyes widened in fear at the thought of going back to sleep, but Atalanta squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Atalanta wasn't too keen on getting back to the drop ship anyways. There, she would just have to watch helplessly as Jasper suffered. Even though she was now uncomfortable against the tree next to Charlotte, it relieved her to know that she could at least help someone feel better.

Wells crossed the camp the next morning, the air grim from the sounds of Jasper's screams. Wells hadn't slept that night, nor had many others. Everyone worked on building the camp wall uneasily, listening to Jasper dying.

Aside from Bellamy and his regular posse, who stood off to the side throwing knives and axes and things. Wells couldn't help but frown as he saw them. While the evident bad-boy quality of Murphy was automatically unlikeable, Bellamy's unbearable quality was his snarkiness. He was handsome, and he knew it. He was smart, and he knew it. He was an asshole, and Wells was sure that Bellamy knew that too. Although if he didn't, Wells would be happy to tell him.

That predatory stare. That cocky grin. That careless hair. That confidence. He was everything Wells wasn't. And Wells hated him for it.

Realizing that he wasn't in the mood to work on the wall with the others, Wells followed the sounds of the screaming. Maybe there he would find Atalanta, and Clarke. If Clarke would even talk to him...

Wells climbed the ladder, surveying the room once he got to the top. Finn stood across from Clarke, who hovered worriedly over the moaning Jasper. Over in the corner, Atalanta sat with Monty by a lantern. She gave him a weak smile as he entered.

Wells awkwardly entered the room. "How's he doing?" he asked, crouching down next to Clarke.

"How does it look like he's doing, Wells?" she spat bitterly without even looking over at him.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help," Wells said, regretting his decision to come up here.

He was about to stand and go over next to Atalanta, but Clarke finally replied. "Alright. You want to help? Hold him down."

Wells obediently held firmly down on Jasper's legs, Finn joining to help. Clarke turned around and stuck her knife into the coals in the fire burning behind her, sterilizing the blade. Wells heard Monty gulp.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Monty said nervously, and Atalanta held his arm for support.

"Clarke?" she said. She wore an expression that Wells loved, one that showed that she was ready to do anything to help. She usually used that expression when questioning Clarke, admiringly looking up to the girl.

Clarke shook her head at Atalanta. "You're on guard duty. Make sure no one gets in."

"Why would people try to come in?" Atalanta asked with wide, innocent blue eyes. She was probably thinking the same thing Wells was: everyone has been trying to avoid Jasper's noise. Why would they come towards it?

"Because," Clarke said. "They'll want to know why his small cries have turned into loud screams."

Wells was haunted by her comment, but remained silent. Without another word, Clarke pressed the knife to Jasper's skin. And she was right: he screamed like hell.

He thrashed, writhing in pain. "Hold him still! I need to cut away the infected flesh!" Clarke ordered. Wells tightened his grip, and managed to sneak a look over at Atalanta, who had moved to stand next to him to guard the entrance. She was as white as paper.

Under Wells' hands, Jasper suddenly stilled. Clarke stopped the knife, watching as Jasper's eyes rolled into the back of his head. Wells gulped as Atalanta gasped, and she reached over to feel his pulse.

In that second she was distracted, Octavia breached Atalanta's security force, storming into the cramped room. "Stop it! You're killing him!" she exclaimed, running over to Clarke.

"She's trying to save his life," defended Finn. Despite herself, Wells saw Atalanta shoot Finn a curious look. She looked strangely suspicious, and Wells could practically read her thoughts. Wells imagined she was thinking somewhere along the lines of _they're soooo gonna hookup._ Then he saw Atalanta flinch slightly, shaking the thought out of her head. Wells smiled to himself. He knew her too well.

"She can't," said Bellamy, entering the room. The smile fell from Wells' face. Atalanta frowned, having failed at her one task to guard the door yet again.

Wells didn't have to turn around to see Bellamy to know that it was him. His voice was characteristically douchebag-ish. The muscles in Wells' back tensed, and he couldn't take it any longer.

He rose to his feet, turning around to square up to Bellamy. "Back off." Bellamy stared at him with unreadable eyes, but it was definitely a stubborn, almost challenging gaze. Atalanta laid a small hand on Wells' arm from behind him, and Bellamy saw her over Wells' shoulder, and looked away, watching Clarke instead as she spoke.

"We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die," Clarke persisted.

"Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy," Bellamy answered without hesitation.

Clarke looked up at him, pissed. "Sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you, but this isn't the Ark. Down here, every life matters."

"Take a look at him. He's a lost cause," Bellamy said, trying to persuade her to give it a rest. Wells looked over at Jasper, and hated to admit it, but the boy looked dead already.

Everyone was silent for a moment in thought, and Octavia furrowed her eyebrows together in fear for Jasper. Clarke looked over at her and, in reassurance, said, "Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope."

Bellamy instantly refuted. "This isn't about hope, it's about guts. You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself."

Wells glared at him, and was surprised once he realized that Atalanta was narrowing her eyes as well. Last he checked, Atalanta and Bellamy got along fine. In fact, Wells bitterly thought they got along _just perfectly_. But her eyes were like cobalt, and eventually, after the others refused to lift their heads, Bellamy met Wells' gaze, and then Atalanta's. Wells shivered when he saw Bellamy look towards Atalanta, but just as soon as his eyes landed on her, they looked away. He turned his back and then he made his way to the ladder.

"Octavia," he said. "Let's go."

"I'm staying here," Octavia replied.

Bellamy made a face and left.

"Power-hungry, self-serving jackass," Monty spat as soon as Bellamy was gone. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself. No offense." He added on the last part for Octavia's sake, but she just shrugged.

"Yeah, Bellamy is all that," Finn said grimly. "But he also happens to be right."

Wells would rather cut off his own fingers off than tell Bellamy that he was right about anything. But, Wells did like Finn, and he had no problem admitting that Finn spoke the truth.

After sitting with Octavia and Monty for a bit longer in the dropship, Atalanta decided that she needed some fresh air. She had an awful crick in her neck from sitting next to Charlotte against the tree all night, and she didn't get a wink of sleep. She blinked heavily as she climbed down the ladder, her head aching from the lack of rest.

At the bottom, Atalanta sleepily bumped into something solid and stumbled back, mumbling an apology. But before she could walk away, the figure grabbed her by her shoulders. She slowly realized that the person was speaking to her, and after blinking the fogginess out of her eyes, she recognized Rhett. Her heart jumped like it always did when she saw him. But this time, her stomach curled too, and not in the good way.

"I've been waiting down here for you. Figured you needed some space to do your doctor thing," Rhett said with a small smile. He reached up to cup her cheek in one of his hands. "You look exhausted."

Atalanta shook her head weakly, but intentionally: the action caused his hand to fall to his side. His touch made her skin crawl. "I'm not tired. I was just going to see where Clarke and Wells went."

"I just saw them take off with Finn into the woods," Rhett said. "Don't worry about it. Stay here with me." He tried his half smile that Atalanta once-and still did, if she was being honest with herself-found irresistible. But this time, it didn't work.

Atalanta stared at him. "Who is Logan?" She was too tired to think about what she was saying. Part of her was convinced that she actually was a sleep, and this was just a dream. The words just tumbled from her lips, unfiltered, and she couldn't even bring her sleepy mind to care.

Rhett visibly flinched. "...Uhh... You mean the girl I was talking to last night? I thought I introduced you two."

"You did," Atalanta said. She reached up and rubbed one of her eyes. She wondered if she would even remember this conversation happened. "But _who_ is she?"

"Logan," said Rhett, unrelenting. "Her name is Logan. She's just an old friend."

Atalanta crossed her arms. "Why was Logan arrested?" she asked. Despite her interrogation, her tired voice came out light and soft like a feather floating through the air.

Before he answered, Atalanta saw Rhett's Adam's apple bob up and down as he gulped. "I don't know," he said.

"You're lying," Atalanta yawned. She almost started laughing at how blunt she was. _I need to sleep,_ she thought. When she looked back up at Rhett, she became dizzy.

Rhett gaped at her, but didn't say anything. For a moment, Atalanta forgot what she was doing downstairs. She should go back upstairs. _Wait... Why? What's upstairs?_

"Jasper," she gasped aloud, pushing away from Rhett. " _I totally forgot!_ "

Rhett furrowed his eyebrows at her. She started to sway slightly on her feet as she turned for the ladder, and he reached out and held her arms to keep her steady. "No, you lay down here and rest. I'll go check on Jasper."

Before Atalanta could protest, Rhett lowered her to the floor of the drop ship. She was too exhausted to fight him. She curled up onto her side, her heavy eyelids falling closed easily. Rhett planted a kiss on her forehead, and then he left. The sound of his boots against the floor echoed in Atalanta's mind.

Bellamy was having a rough morning. First, he had to deal with Atom, who was still moping about the night before. To be fair, that wasn't entirely Bellamy's fault-Atom flirted with Octavia when he knew better, and he had to take his punishment.

Secondly, Trina and Pascal went missing. The entire camp was terrified enough with the goggle boy yelling from being speared through the stomach. They didn't need to think that Trina and Pascal were taken and injured, too.

And on top of all of that, he had to deal with Octavia, who certainly had a mind of her own. Octavia yelled at Bellamy in accusation for why Atom was ignoring her. She just couldn't see that Bellamy was doing it for her own good. No one knew about the full extent of the dangers on the ground-Octavia needed to be extra precautions instead of being distracted by some _guy_.

Lastly, he had to be the bad guy and storm into the drop ship to get Jasper to shut the hell up. He hated being the enemy, but someone had to say what needed to be said. The sound of Jasper's misery wasn't making it any easier on anyone in the camp. _Call me insensitive_ , Bellamy thought with a grumble. _I'm just thinking about the other people in the camp_.

But after he stormed out of the drop ship, he realized that it wouldn't matter whether he was the most hated man in the camp or not, because _nothing_ would matter once everyone was dead from starvation. He spent the next hour trying to assemble a group to go hunting. It was hard to find people who were willing, since everyone was scared of the Grounders. Except for those three idiots Clarke, Finn, and Wells, who Bellamy saw disappear into the trees minutes ago. He barely spared them a glance. He couldn't care less about them being stupid enough to go off and get themselves killed.

And, of course, there was one idiot he forgot about. She stumbled out of the drop ship, blinking against the downpour of blinding sunlight. Her hair was matted and she rubbed at her eyes as if just waking up from a nap. _Good_ , Bellamy thought. He had noticed her lack of sleep. It was evident in the dark circles under her eyes and the agitation in her movements. She had even looked sickly, and every time Bellamy saw her, he had to restrain himself from marching over to her and commanding her to lie down and-

Bellamy shook his head. It wasn't his job to watch after the stupid campers who couldn't take care of themselves. The first time he met Annie, she was throwing herself into danger. If she wanted to keep putting herself in harms way, fine. She didn't need a babysitter, and so he wouldn't bother. No matter how worried she made him...

And not to mention what happened last night. When she came at him and shoved him at the bonfire, Bellamy didn't think anything of it. He knew that cutting off communication with the Ark would have its affects, but he didn't think it would kill the Ark's remaining inhabitants.

But Atalanta did. When he saw the tears glazing her eyes over, it had only just occurred to him then that what he was doing could have greater consequences. Seeing Atalanta crying was a shock and it was enough to make him want to quit collecting wristbands.

Yet at the same time, he had the sneaking suspicion that the wristbands weren't the only reason she was crying.

"Hey," Atalanta said as she stumbled over to where Bellamy and his team geared up. She had faint sleep marks on her face, and she stifled a yawn as she spoke. "You're going hunting?"

Bellamy shrugged. "Someone has to feed the camp." He turned back to sharpening his spear. Then, satisfied with his work, he set down the finished spear and picked up another dull one to work on.

Before Bellamy could protest, Atalanta's hand shot out and plucked up the spear he had set down. "I'm coming," she announced.

"No," Bellamy said automatically, reaching to get his spear back. Atalanta held it out of his reach, and he sighed in frustration. "It's dangerous out there. You should know that better than anyone."

"That's why I'll have this to protect myself," Atalanta stated, brandishing her spear with a proud smile.

Looking at her like that, Bellamy found it hard to refute her argument. "You're...You're barely even awake," Bellamy said lamely, trying to find something to convince her. He could've mentioned Rhett. Bellamy had seen Rhett earlier with that Logan girl, and Rhett turned down his offer to go hunting. Bellamy knew that Rhett wouldn't be happy to know that his precious girlfriend wanted to go. But in the moment, staring at Annie's determined little face, Bellamy went totally blank. That never happened to Bellamy in an argument. Never.

She shrugged. "I'm fine. This fresh air is waking me right up," she claimed, flashing a perky grin to prove her point. "Besides, I need to get away from camp."

"C'mon, Bellamy," Murphy said, joining in on the conversation. "You tried to gather everyone in the camp you could. Why should she be any different?"

Bellamy stared at Murphy, thinking about how to answer. But the truth was that he didn't _have_ an answer. Annie shouldn't be any different. She should come along and hunt. They needed all the help they could get.

But at the same time, Bellamy didn't like the idea of her tagging along. It wouldn't allow him to focus on hunting. The whole time, he would be looking over his shoulder at her, because she was too stupid to look after herself. He learned that the hard way with the cougar in the woods the day before. Annie was like a magnet that only attracted danger, and to Bellamy, it was a huge inconvenience.

"You can tell me all you want," Atalanta said, sticking up her chin stubbornly. "You can't stop me from coming." Bellamy was reminded of Octavia in Annie's defiance. What was it with girls? Why could they never listen?

"Fine," Bellamy growled eventually. "Just... Keep an eye on yourself... Not that I care." He didn't wait to hear her response, knowing that it would be something snarky. Instead, he broke off to take up the front of the hunting party, and without delay, he led them into the woods.

So far, the forest was uneventful. A few birds flew about, but Bellamy knew that those would hardly last the camp one night. But then, after half an hour, he caught the trail of a boar, it's hooves making indentions in the dirt. Atalanta hovered close to him, her eyes wide as she noticed the tracks. She was determined to follow the trail, but Bellamy knew she would only get in his way.

"The stream is right down that hill," he told her firmly, pointing. "Take Dax with you and get some water."

"But-" Atalanta started, her mouth open.

"Go," Bellamy commanded before she could argue anymore. She stared at him angrily for a moment. But with a huff, she obeyed, and walked off towards the stream. As Dax started to follow her, Bellamy grabbed his arm and gave him a firm, warning stare with a silent message. _Watch after her_ , it said. Dax nodded, and Bellamy let him go.

With Atalanta gone, Bellamy caught up to the boar in no time. She was holding him back. "Shh," he whispered to his group, his eyes growing in excitement as he eyed the boar. "She's mine."

Bellamy pulled his elbow back, aiming his axe. Yet suddenly, a twig snapped behind him. Bellamy's instincts acted before his thoughts did, and before he could stop himself, he threw his axe behind him where he had heard the noise.

When he heard a small shriek, his heart stopped in his chest. For a very brief second, Bellamy felt sick, thinking that Atalanta had returned from the stream early. Sure, she's annoying, but Bellamy didn't want to kill her.

Yet when he saw the little girl, standing there in one piece, a wave of relief crashed into him. He looked at her, Atom at his side. Behind him, he heard the rest of his party go after the boar. Part of him ached to charge with them, but the brotherly side of him felt a need to make sure the girl was okay.

"Who the hell are you?" Bellamy blurted. It wasn't at all subtle, but he was too shocked to stop himself from sounding harsh.

"Charlotte," she answered in a small voice.

"I almost killed you," Bellamy said. "Why aren't you back at camp?"

Charlotte regarded him with wide, innocent eyes. Again, he was reminded of Octavia. "Well, what with that guy who was dying, I just... I couldn't listen anymore," she murmured. Bellamy felt a pang in his gut. But he also felt a flash of anger. This was why he told Clarke to stop trying to save Jasper. It was affecting everyone in the camp. Even Annie said she needed to get away from camp, no doubt due to the screams of the dying boy.

"There's Grounders out here," Atom pointed out. "It's too dangerous for a little girl."

"I'm not little," Charlotte answered automatically, surprisingly fierce.

"Okay, then," Bellamy said. With a shrug, he pulled out a knife and handed it to Charlotte. It was like what Annie mentioned earlier when she took the spear: if Charlotte insisted on being out in the woods, then she needed something to protect herself with.

"But you can't hunt without a weapon. Ever killed something before?" Bellamy asked. Charlotte shook her head. "Who knows?" Bellamy said with a small smile. "Maybe you're good at it."

So he was giving a weapon to a kid. Sure, why not? After the crazy morning he had went through, giving Charlotte a knife seemed harmless.

"Charlotte?" he heard a voice say, making him lift his head. Behind Charlotte, Annie appeared from over the hill, Dax at her side. She held a container of water, as requested. But she dropped it once she saw Charlotte, running towards the little girl with a concerned expression.

 _Of_ _course,_ Bellamy thought with an eye roll. _Of_ _course_ _she knows Charlotte_.

"What are you doing out here?" Annie asked, bending to be at Charlotte's eye level. Which wasn't hard for her, Bellamy noted. Annie was only a few inches taller than Charlotte anyways.

"It's ok," Charlotte told Annie, a determined look on her face. "Bellamy gave me this. So I can protect myself."

She raised her knife into the air for show, and Annie's eyes turned to saucers as she saw it. Bellamy noticed a flash of anger in her wide eyes. _Uh oh_ , he thought, and took a few steps back. He was slowly retreating, knowing what would come next.

But he didn't retreat fast enough, for Atalanta turned on him with blinding speed. " _You_ ," she spit, and Bellamy winced. " _You_ gave her a weapon?! You gave a _child_ a _weapon?!_ " As she advanced on him in fury, it was hard for Bellamy to believe that only last night, the tears shone in her eyes as she stared at him.

Bellamy raised his hands in surrender. "We're too far deep in the forest to escort her back now, so she has to have something to protect herself with," Bellamy replied, remaining cool and collected under Atalanta's fiery glare.

Charlotte reached out and laid a hand on Atalanta's arm, which softened her gaze a little. "It's ok," Charlotte said. "I'm being brave. Like you said I was."

Atalanta looked down at Charlotte with a mother-like expression, as if she were going to reach out and tuck Charlotte's hair behind her ear. But she didn't. Instead, she sighed, and turned back to Bellamy with venom in her voice. "If anything, and I mean anything, happens-"

"I know," Bellamy said doggedly. "I'll take the blame. She'll be fine, Annie."

Annie threw her arm around Charlotte's shoulder and had already begun to walk ahead. "Don't call me that," she yelled back, the only indication that she had heard what he had said.

Bellamy grinned. Sure, he mostly called her Annie just to tease her. But as he started after her and Charlotte, he distantly realized that he didn't actually know her full name. Wells had mumbled something about it before, but-

 _Whatever_ , Bellamy exhaled, shaking the smile off of his face. So what if he didn't know her full name? She was just an annoying inconvenience.

But as he continued down the path, he couldn't stop his mind from wondering about all the names that could possible be hers.


End file.
